WHO DID IT? JENNA TARABELSI?
In one of a few regressive aspects of the movie, the circumstances of this encounter with Mary (Leslie Jones) suggest Akeem was date-raped, but the movie laughs it off and uses it as the catalyst for Akeem to connect with his long-lost offspring, Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler), and bring him back to Zamunda to groom as his heir. https://www.npr.org/2021/03/05/973496255/coming-2-america-the-costumes-are-stunning?fbclid=IwAR0qglBR5aBBU1CkC0yjuZDyUE2rt_iBbVSNqKE0uZCYzkEXw_b33yaGtJ8
Zamunda Returns
A film review by Joe Viglione
Zamunda!
Eddie Murphy's magical place that resembles a chaotic land of Oz has
returned! After the first Coming to America landed in 1988, the thirst
for these Zamundans is quenched with a touching story arriving
thirty-three years after the original made fans, waves and an important
court case, Buchwald vs Paramount (1990.)
That the estate of the late columnist, Art Buchwald, is thanked in the
closing credits warms the heart as much as this film does.
Lines like "morally bereft woman" and "I was happy you would put a stem
on an apple of your own" - sexually suggestive at every turn, garnered
this movie a mere PG-13 rating, which is shocking in and of itself.
That the audience enjoys the salty language and cheap sex talk is
part of the fun, which is balanced with the maturity of Cleo McDowell,
his daughter Lisa McDowell, and Eddy Murphy himself.
The shock, though, is on us who saw and loved the original.
The cast has aged! The acting skills are fine, the story is terrific,
Murphy and director Craig Brewer keep the theme of the first film
(directed by John Landis) in the flavor of Landis. What does jolt,
though, is on us. Thirty three years on these royals can't stop
the clock.
There's James Earl Jones on his deathbed again, like in 1992's
Patriot Games. Don't think it is unintentional. Not only does this
new film, Coming2America, make sport of its original 1988 incarnation,
it reprises elements of The Birdcage, Trading Places, Nutty Professor,
and the double bang of your feelings for the original AND those
other films a calculated play, which works.
To be redundant: John Landis directed both the original
Coming to America and Trading Places, so this approach of
referencing much of the original's magic with audience memories
of other motion pictures turns out to be a delight.
King Jaffe Joffer gives himself an amazing send-off as he passes
the crown to Akeem while Vanessa Bell Calloway as the left-at-the-altar
bride-to-be, Imani Izzi, comes back as the sister of Wesley Snipes'
character, General Izzi. With Shari Headley's Lisa McDowell having
to put up with the lady-in-waiting from 1988 as well as the new found
fling, Mary "moms" Junson, mother of the new Prince of Zamunda,
Lavelle Junson, the plot is easy to follow, with the fun as expected
as an episode of The Golden Girls.
Louie Anderson as Maurice is stuck in Groundhog Day, the perpetual
employee of McDowell's and the in-your-face product placement,
from McDonald's to Pepsi, Sabrett Hot Dogs, Madison Square Garden,
Ray Ban Aviator Men's Sunglasses, Puma Men's Jacket to another famous
brand that escapes me at the moment, it's all mixed in ...real life marketing
devices to fragments of films you've seen before, some that had nothing
to do with the Zumanda thread, like the aforementioned The Birdcage.
With Beverly Hills Cop IV on the horizon, after Shreks 2 and 3, sequels
are obviously Hollywood gold. This writer's opinion is that the 33 year wait between Coming to
America film and sequel is one that will be highly popular...all involved
didn't cross too many lines that can't be ignored.
But as the Lethal Weapons series and Die Hard sequel after sequel
gradually shows us the aging process, Coming2America hits you hard
with the stark reality.
Star Wars bringing back the old cast and crew had us expecting that
Luke Skywalker and his sister would age gracefully - after all,
Star Wars is about mortality with more gunshots than The Godfather
(note: I watched both the Godfather and Star Wars back to back this
past weekend, Feb 28, 2021, and there
is MORE violence in Star Wars than the Godfather and its sequels.
Think about THAT! ...it's just done more politely)
Seeing Eddie Murphy as the older man that he is, and Cleo and Lisa and Oha (Paul
Bates) and Semmi (Arsenio Hall) what Murphy and director Brewer (and
earlier director Landis) have done is shown us a reflection of our own
maturing process. It's an unintended consequence of waiting so long,
and it, magically, brings the audience even closer to the film.
The story, this time, is wide open for sequel after sequel. The sooner
the better.
Zamunda Returns
A film review by Joe Viglione
0 comments:
Post a Comment