Princess Meeka (KiKi Layne, who plays it straight) casts a stern look at the giddy Lavelle from the moment he arrives, eventually taking on the begrudging role of his mentor as he’s forced to undergo a series of inane trials. Which, of course, he has: While Akeem’s legitimate children have spent their lives dreaming of the throne, the sudden arrival of this eager newcomer leads to an obvious reckoning as the movie attempts a modest feminist twist. Hearing about his legacy in a cramped Queens apartment surrounded by his awestruck mom and her bumbling brother (an ever-combustible Tracy Morgan), Lavelle embraces the opportunity as if he’s won the lottery. The clock is ticking as Akeem and Semmi return to their old stomping grounds for a hilarious mismatch: It’s quickly clear that Lavelle, a scalper frustrated by the inherent racism of the American workforce, doesn’t exactly come across as regal material. (In one of many clever throwbacks, General Izzi is the resentful brother of the woman Akeem declined to marry in the last movie decades later, she’s still barking like a dog from the command he gave her to prove her pointless servitude.) The introduction of Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler), Akeem’s “bastard offspring” who was raised by single mom Mary (Leslie Jones) back in Queens, marks the ultimate passing of the baton: With Jaffe out of the picture and Akeem suddenly ruling his kingdom, he’s pressured to track down his unexpected kid to bring him into the kingdom before it’s overtaken by General Izzi (a stone-faced Wesley Snipes, who has never given such a riotous kind of deadpan performance), the insurgent leader of Nextdoria. Since his father King Jaffe (James Earl Jones, whose every second of screen time feels like some sort of holy communion) still oversees the kingdom, Akeem has settled into his palatial routine: He’s still hanging around with best pal Semmi (Arsenio Hall, the same kooky slapstick nut) and relishing the ease of life with Lisa when King Jaffe complicates matters: He’s going to die soon, and while Akeem thinks he has no male heirs, it turns out he actually sowed his oats in Queens during a late-night pre-Lisa excursion that yielded him a son. Still, it’s a blast to watch Akeem, now the happy father to three young girls, wander his kingdom in the opening moments as if nothing has really changed over the years. That’s a curious proposition given that “Coming to America” interrogated depictions of Africa and the African diaspora in popular culture, while “Coming 2 America” treats these characters more like real people. Capably directed by Murphy’s “Dolemite Is My Name” director Craig Brewer with a lively mix of dance numbers, a dense cameo list, and a neat set of intergenerational conflicts, “Coming 2 America” derives most of its entertainment value from winking to the original. Largely predicated on fan service even as it introduces some next-gen faces, the sequel embraces the same appeal of the original, though it rhymes its best gags with such precision that it rarely finds its own tune. “Coming 2 America” does that as well, in ways almost exclusively indebted to the appeal of the original. Where to Watch This Week’s New Movies, from ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’ to ‘Love Life’ The romantic union between Prince Akeem Joffer and Lisa from Queens (Shari Headley) provided a boisterous foundation for probing dueling notions of Black identity that, like Murphy’s long-dormant standup, merged outrageous comedic stereotypes with a genuine soul-searching quest. In director John Landis’ hands, the absurdist plight of the African prince from the fictional Zamunda, who bucks tradition by falling in love with an American woman he meets to avoid his arranged marriage back home, felt like the authentic tale of a man coming to terms with his true self. Released in 1988 at the height of Murphy’s popularity, “Coming to America” blended satire and fairy tale romance through the sheer power of Murphy’s screen presence. Produced at a time when big, brash studio comedies rarely crack the zeitgeist, “Coming 2 America” works far better than the market standard, in part because it does right by its roots. Those who adore the original, however, will feel like they’ve been revisited by an old friend, or perhaps the dirty uncle, whose jokes are a bit frayed but still pointed enough. Anyone unfamiliar with that movie’s legacy - and, 33 years on, those people are really missing out - will find “ Coming 2 America,” the long-awaited followup, amusing in parts. It’s hard to imagine a comedy like “Coming to America” getting made today, which means that only Eddie Murphy could resurrect it.
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