Coming to America

Details

Prince Akeem lives a life of extraordinary luxury in the African kingdom of Zamunda. Surrounded by servants who cater to his every need, he has never had to lift a finger in his life. On his twenty-first birthday he is introduced to his future bride - a woman selected for him at birth and trained to be the perfect royal companion. Unfortunately for Akeem, perfection is precisely the problem. Wanting a woman who will love him for himself rather than his royal status, he decides to leave Zamunda and travel to America to find a bride on his own terms.

Accompanied by his loyal friend and aide Semmi, Akeem heads to New York and settles in the borough of Queens. Determined to experience life as an ordinary man, the pair disguise their wealth and take jobs at the local fast-food restaurant, McDowell's. It is there that Akeem meets Lisa McDowell, the intelligent and independent daughter of the restaurant's owner. Naturally, Akeem quickly falls for her.

Things are not quite so straightforward however. Lisa is already dating Darryl Jenks, the rather arrogant son of a wealthy hair-care tycoon, and her father Cleo believes Darryl to be the ideal match for his daughter. Meanwhile, Akeem must keep his true identity a secret while trying to prove that he is worthy of Lisa's affection.

Picture & Sound

The picture is a bit of a disappointment with little or no attempt by Paramount to clean up the transfer. The image suffers from fairly frequent dust specks and other imperfections, although for a film of this age that can perhaps be forgiven. Colours appear slightly washed out and there are moments where the contrast looks a little harsh. On the positive side there are no obvious signs of artifacting or outlining and the bit-rate remains reasonably healthy, even if it does fluctuate rather strangely at times.

Although the picture leaves something to be desired, the sound quality fares much better. The musical score in particular makes excellent use of the available channels, especially during the grand opening scenes in Zamunda. Dialogue is clear and well positioned in the centre channel and there is a fair amount of activity in the surrounds during the busier scenes. It certainly helps make up for the shortcomings in the video transfer.

Menu & Extras

Yet again Paramount deliver a rather uninspired menu system with a static and silent presentation. Extras are limited to little more than the theatrical trailer, which is a shame as a film as popular as this could easily have supported a more substantial collection of bonus material.

Overall

Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall make a terrific double act and their on-screen chemistry carries the film from beginning to end. One of the real pleasures of the film is spotting the many different characters played by the two actors, particularly during the now famous barber shop scenes which remain some of the funniest moments in the film.

Coming to America is classic Eddie Murphy at his peak, combining sharp comedy with an affectionate fish-out-of-water story. The film's mix of outrageous humour, memorable characters and Murphy's multiple disguises ensure that it remains one of the standout comedy hits of the late 1980s.

Although this DVD release may be somewhat lacking in extras, the film itself more than makes up for it. If you enjoy Eddie Murphy's earlier work, this is still one of his best and most entertaining performances.

Special features

• Theatrical Trailer