Prince Akeem Joffer is set to become King of Zamunda when he discovers he has a son he never knew about in America – a street savvy Queens native named Lavelle. Honoring his royal father's dying wish to groom this son as the crown prince, Akeem and Semmi set off to America once again.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.6/10
IMDb: 5.3/10
Letterboxd: 2.31/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 49%
Metacritic: 52
TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
Craig Brewer
Production
Paramount Pictures, New Republic Pictures, Eddie Murphy Productions, Misher Films
Cast
Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, Wesley Snipes, James Earl Jones, John Amos, Teyana Taylor, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Paul Bates, Nomzamo Mbatha, Bella Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Akiley Love, Rotimi, Louie Anderson, Trevor Noah
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, star-powered sequel with a few genuine laughs and plenty of affection for its characters, but it leans hard on nostalgia and often feels like a polished retread rather than a fresh comedy. The cast is game and the production is lavish, yet the humor is uneven and the story rarely has the bite or surprise of the original.
Best for
fans of the original Coming to America
viewers who enjoy nostalgic legacy sequels
audiences looking for light, family-friendly comedy
fans of Eddie Murphy ensemble vehicles
Skip if
you want sharp, modern satire
you dislike callback-heavy sequels
you need a comedy with strong narrative momentum
you found the original’s edge and energy essential
Overview
Coming 2 America is built on affection: for the characters, for the world of Zamunda, and for the memory of a much sharper predecessor. That warmth helps it coast through some of its weaker stretches, and Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall still have enough comic chemistry to make the reunion feel worthwhile at moments.
Worth noting
But the movie is also trapped by its own nostalgia. It keeps reaching for familiar beats, familiar jokes, and familiar emotional turns, often without finding a new angle on any of them. The result is pleasant more than funny, polished more than inspired.
Bottom line
As a legacy sequel, it’s competent and occasionally charming. As a comedy, it’s inconsistent and too cautious to fully justify its existence. If you’re returning for the cast and the world, there’s enough here to get by; if you’re hoping for a true revival, it falls short.
Top Letterboxd reviews
matt lynch (2★) · 704 likes
Drains all the texture and thorny Black Americana out of the original in favor of callbacks and cheap gags. There's so little meat on its clothesline narrative, with none of the older film's sweetness added to this one's relatively tame depiction of aspiration nor frankness added to this toothless story of reverse assimilation. Ugly too, replacing the wintry New York locations with soundstages and green screens, shot like a sitcom. Really disappointing from Brewer.
Rendy Jones (2.5★) · 420 likes
Nostalgia is a disease.
Tino Hahn (1★) · 399 likes
Das Buch ist besser.
Welches? Jedes.
Christian Di Leo (2.5★) · 213 likes
2 COMING 2 AMERICA
Well folks, it ain't some fucking bullshit like Dumb And Dumber To or Zoolander 2, so thank god for that. This is actually an okay sequel in my opinion. It's funny enough, it ties back to the original in many ways and it adds some great new characters. Jermaine Fowler is a great addition, he was great in Buffaloed, which I watched the other day, and totally good in this as well. Wesley Snipes, holy shit,… more
Jack (2★) · 213 likes
bad movie but ahhh it’s just so great to see Eddie Murphy having some fun on screen again
1996 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 59m · R · Curator 7.8/10 (359.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
A warm, high-energy family and identity comedy that pairs big performances with genuine heart.