Amazon.com video review:
Half of the characters in this 1988 John Landis potboiler seem
to be played either by Eddie Murphy or costar Arsenio Hall, swaddled
in elaborate Rick Baker makeup appliances that render them
unrecognizable but also weirdly immobile. As a pampered African prince
who journeys incognito to Queens, New York, to find a bride who will
love him just for himself, Murphy manages to look smug and naive at
the same time. There are enjoyable sequences of Murphy's Prince Akeem
applying his lordly manner to his new job in a fast-food emporium, and
falling for the boss's spirited daughter (Shari Headley), who teaches
him how to party down, American style. But the fish-out-water premise
is never fully exploited. Star spotters will have a field day locating
Cuba Gooding Jr., Donna Summer, Louie Anderson, Vondie Curtis Hall,
E.R.'s Eriq La Salle, and Samuel L. Jackson in their minuscule
supporting roles. --David Chute
Amazon.com video review:
Half of the characters in this 1988 John Landis potboiler seem
to be played either by Eddie Murphy or costar Arsenio Hall, swaddled
in elaborate Rick Baker makeup appliances that render them
unrecognizable but also weirdly immobile. As a pampered African prince
who journeys incognito to Queens, New York, to find a bride who will
love him just for himself, Murphy manages to look smug and naive at
the same time. There are enjoyable sequences of Murphy's Prince Akeem
applying his lordly manner to his new job in a fast-food emporium, and
falling for the boss's spirited daughter (Shari Headley), who teaches
him how to party down, American style. But the fish-out-water premise
is never fully exploited. Star spotters will have a field day locating
Cuba Gooding Jr., Donna Summer, Louie Anderson, Vondie Curtis Hall,
E.R.'s Eriq La Salle, and Samuel L. Jackson in their minuscule
supporting roles. --David Chute
