EDDIE MURPHY 'COMING 2 AMERICA' (BACKPOSTED FROM 3/5/2021)

COMING 2 AMERICA Year: 2021 Rating: *1/2

The original COMING TO AMERICA was no accident. It took experienced filmmaker John Landis to pull off what he did for THE BLUES BROTHERS, which came out before working with Eddie Murphy in TRADING PLACES: That is, blending music into comedy without it being a musical-comedy, and very few directors could pull that off, and this sequel is proof... they still can't.

It's understandable that the semi-retired Landis isn't on board, but in trying to recreate that same magic originally sparked by the collaboration of Landis and Murphy with only an older, overweight Murphy just doesn't feel or look right... 

The biggest problem is his "bastard son" from Queens, Jermaine Fowler, with a loud, annoying mother. Then again, their Bad Sit-Com rhythm fits this contrived sequel more than the once-great Murphy, again alongside sidekick Arsenio Hall, who, like the other familiar faces, is going through the motions. The only new characters that kind of work, allowing Fowler's "young Prince" to stretch beyond the intentionally recycled plot, is KiKi Layne as his half-sister, reluctantly aiding in a semi-involving, dangerous task... And Nomzamo Mbatha as his royal hair-cutter and basically the new version of Sheri Headly: a free-thinking bride to change the age-old rules. Unfortunately, this love story is far too rushed to matter, inserted into the 11th hour what took the entire original movie to pan-out more naturally, and humorously.