Guess what? Another sequel fails to live up to the original, who would have thought. This was not a good movie but for reasons you would not expect. Here is the good, the bad and the final take.
The Good
Wesley Snipe’s acting, the music, Morgan Freeman, the costume design and the barbershop characters. That’s it and that’s all.
The Bad
What makes this movie disappointing is the contrast with the original Coming To America. A movie that broke the mold of romantic comedies with a strong black cast that was a hilarious coming to age movie. It hit so many angles and was different. A modern comparison is Black Panther, a genre bending flick that stands out in a sea of super hero movies. In the 80’s the romantic comedy genre was common but not like Coming To America, that’s why it’s a classic. Coming 2 America felt corny and rushed, literally and figuratively. The director and/or Eddie wanted to fit in all the characters from the first film and it was too much. The lack of chemistry between characters made this film seem rushed, the best thing about the first movie was the connection with Semi and Akeem but in this one…it’s lost. Jermaine Fowler and Leslie Jones have the best dynamic and Tracy Morgan is the funniest person.
Another major downfall of this movie was the lack of character development with Akeem’s son…his story felt rushed and had little substance. Maybe that was on purpose because Akeem’s daughters are highlighted but it felt like the movie was pushing an agenda instead of telling a good story. Coming To America was a great story and it was funny. Coming 2 America was a rushed story with barely any good laughs and a lot of cringe.
Final Take
This is another example of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and sadly…Eddie and the gang tried to fix a great formula. Extremely disappointing and not funny.
2/5 Stars
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