Plot
An African prince goes to Queens, New York City to find a wife whom he can respect for her intelligence and will.
Release Year: 1988
Rating: 6.8/10 (54,230 voted)
Critic's Score: 48/100
Director:
John Landis
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones
Storyline It is the 21st birthday of Prince Akeem of Zamunda and he is to marry a woman he never saw before. Now the prince breaks with tradition and travels to America to look for the love of his life.
Writers: Eddie Murphy, David Sheffield
Cast: Eddie Murphy
-
Prince Akeem
/
Clarence
/
Randy Watson
/
Saul
Arsenio Hall
-
Semmi
/
Extremely Ugly Girl
/
Morris
/
Reverend Brown
James Earl Jones
-
King Jaffe Joffer
John Amos
-
Cleo McDowell
Madge Sinclair
-
Queen Aoleon
Shari Headley
-
Lisa McDowell
Paul Bates
-
Oha
Eriq La Salle
-
Darryl Jenks
Frankie Faison
-
Landlord
Vanessa Bell Calloway
-
Imani Izzi
(as Vanessa Bell)
Louie Anderson
-
Maurice
Allison Dean
-
Patrice McDowell
Sheila Johnson
-
Lady-in-Waiting
Jake Steinfeld
-
Cab Driver
Calvin Lockhart
-
Colonel Izzi
Taglines:
This summer, Prince Akeem discovers America.
Release Date: 29 June 1988
Filming Locations: Big Sky Ranch - 4927 Bennett Road, Simi Valley, California, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $39,000,000
(estimated)
Gross: $288,800,000
(Worldwide)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
All characters in the barber shop (including the Caucasians) are played by Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Clint Smith, and Cuba Gooding Jr.
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers):
When the landlord describes the apartment to Akeem, he says it only has one window facing a brick wall. When Akeem and Semi are on the fire escape there are clearly two windows, both of which face the street and a lot more than that is shown in the shots just before.
Quotes: Prince Akeem:
But when I marry, I want the woman to love me for who I am, not because of what I am. King Jaffe Joffer:
And who are you? Prince Akeem:
I am a man who has never tied his own shoes before! King Jaffe Joffer:
Wrong. You are a PRINCE who has never tied his shoes. Believe me. I tied my own shoes once. It is an overrated experience.
User Review
Wonderful movie!
Rating: 8/10
The first part of this movie, showing Eddie Murphy's life as an African
prince, is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I loved it. The
wedding ceremony alone was so funny, I almost fell out of my chair from
laughing so hard. I thought this could be one of the funniest movies of all
time.
At about the halfway point, though, it stops being a laugh-a-minute riot,
and kind of settles down into more of a quiet romance movie. The scene at
the basketball game (with the man who worships Murphy) is the last really
hilarious thing that happens. After that, it never again reaches the energy
of the beginning.
This is not really a bad thing, though: it is still enjoyable from start to
finish, even during the quiet parts. It has good actors, and it is fun to
watch, and that makes it a great movie. I highly recommend it; it is one of
my favorite comedies. I give it 8 out of 10 stars. See it if you
haven't.
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