Coming 2 America Movie Review

Coming 2 America takes place 30 years after the first installment. Mostly set in fictitious Zamunda, Coming 2 America revisits Akeem, now a family man settled into a comfortable Kingdom life, trying to rise out of his father’s shadow. Consequently, Akeem and his trusted confidant, Semi, played by Arsenio Hall, must once again traverse the continent to Queens, only this time they are in search of Akeem’s heir, a son. 



As an avid fan of the first installment, I was beyond nervous to watch this one. I did not want it to ruin or taint the legacy of the first one. Of course, I was not expecting it to be better but I did not want it to be awful. After watching the second installment, I am happy to say that it did not ruin the legacy for me at all. If anything it was a nice stroll down memory lane with a few interesting detours and pit stops. 


The storytelling was simple and entertaining. Seeing the old cast was nostalgic and brought a smile to my face a few times. I enjoyed the pageantry of the set and the costume design. The cast was beautiful. The melanin was for sure popping. I definitely, think the writing could have been better. There were some plot details that could have been handled with more finesse which I will save for the spoiler section. 


I was disappointed that the film did not take even a minute to show the versatility of the country even being a fictitious one. The producers could have done much better than what they showcased, being that we are now in the 21st century and the majority of the film was set in Zamunda. They did not breakdown any stereotypes about the continent with the setting.  We did not see a marketplace, a metropolitan area, or even what this country looked like that Akeem now presided over. 


I enjoyed the cameos and the display of melanated beauty. I thought the film could have been a little more progressive in the portrayal of Lavelle and his mother. They had the opportunity to still portray them as separated by class and royalty without maintaining the stereotype of an ignorant ghetto single mom. With that being said, at times this installment was giving me some Soul Planeish vibes. It was part bougie and part hood. I enjoy a good hood movie where nonsensical things happen just because, but I enjoy them, even more, when I know that is what to expect. 


Fortunately, I went into this film with only one expectation- that it was not going to be even close to as good as the first one was. Therefore, when some of the more off-the-wall parts of the film happened, I just enjoyed the silliness of it. Again, I appreciated seeing the cast together once again and enjoyed the new additions as well. I am still processing Wesley Snipes though. I just do not know what to say about that whole thing. 


Shar Headley, reprising Lisa McDowell, looked fabulous 30 years later. Actually, everyone looked pretty sharp, albeit a little older-- okay, a lot older, but still fabulous. Kiki Layne who I recognized as Nile Freeman from The Old Gaurd (streaming on Netflix) was stunning anytime she appeared on the screen. That dang Teyana Taylor makes me want to go get a gym membership right now even though I have sworn off spending money on the gym. I feel like Rotimi and Jermain Fowler should have switched roles. I imagined him doing a better job at Lavelle. Keep in mind the acting was on point. They performed what they were given. Once again, the storyline was pretty basic and predicative. I think of Coming 2 America and a reunion of the first one with some sprinkle of 2020. My two favorite parts were the first barbershop scene and the special guest at the end. 


Coming 2 America: C


What my review on my Youtube Channel, LiteVi Entertainment

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