It's rare that a comedy film nails all the pitch-perfect notes of laughs, jokes, and comedic timing, all in the span of two hours while staying true to its characters and story. From toilet humor and one-liners to hilarious jingles and even breaking the fourth wall, John Landis and Eddie Murphy perfectly mixed all these elements into their film, Coming To America.
Not just relying on a wonderfully comical screenplay and the ad-libs of Murphy and Arsenio Hall, this film also took most aspects of what makes a comedy funny and added them all to the perfect dinner plate. All while having a sweet message, a loving fairytale romance, and some of the most iconic sequences in cinema. With a much-anticipated sequel film on the way, here are the 10 funniest moments in Coming To America.
St. John's Basketball Game
Akeem is pursuing Lisa but is unwillingly set up with her sister Patrice and the two of them go on a double date with Lisa and the heir of Soul Glo.
On top of Eric LaSalle making offbeat and rude comments to Akeem about his African heritage, Patrice is getting mighty frisky with Akeem underneath his jacket, which results in his high pitched screams and standing up and cheering during half time. It's an embarrassing moment that is all too funny.
Trading Places
A quick, yet funny and charming shout out to John Landis and Eddie Murphy's prior team up in Trading Places, this scene is superbly rich and funny, as it references the evil financial traders Randolph and Mortimer when they lose everything at the end of Trading Places.
In this film, the extremely wealthy prince Akeem is on a date with Lisa, when he drops a bag of money on two homeless people. Once the camera closes up on these two homeless men, the Trading Places theme starts playing and the film reveals Randolph and Mortimer, who. then say, "We're back," followed by them wanting to have lunch with Akeem. It's sweet and funny at the same time.
Louie Anderson Explains His 10-Year Plan
Comedian Louie Anderson plays an employee of McDowells, who always seems to be picked on indirectly. There's a small yet funny scene where Anderson explains to Semmi and Akeem the American dream, by saying he's washing lettuce right now, but soon, he'll be on fries, then the grill. A year or two later, he'll make assistant manager, which is when the big bucks start rolling in.
Comparing his minimum wage job to royalty and being a prince is a highly comical moment and Akeem is genuinely excited for Louie.
The Night Club
Clarence said it best when he told Akeem that he went wrong with trying to meet his queen at a New York nightclub. This montage sequence has Akeem and Semmi courting potential women to be the princess of Zamunda, which nose dives fast. The royal duo quickly finds out through two sets of identical twins, a BMW lover, Joan of Arc herself, a large woman who wants a man to put in overtime, a self-obsessed wannabe, and a devil worshipper that a bar might not be the place to meet people.
The biggest laughs come when a woman states she's into the "group thing" and Akeem's smile disappears and Semmi's smile grows large. It all ends with Arsenio Hall dressing in drag, telling the two men she's up for anything.
Damn Shame What They Did To That Dog
After seeing the luxurious and beautiful kingdom of Zamunda and the castle that Akeem lives in, the film does a 180 spin and lands in a horrible housing project in Queens, which is managed by the fantastic Frankie Faison.
From yelling at his tenant Stu for not paying rent and falling down the stairs, to showcasing the room they are to rent, the scene is hilarious, as Akeem and Semmi witness a rat infestation, blood on the walls, trash everywhere, and a chalk outline of a human body and their dog.
Imani's Introduction
The arranged marriage of Akeem at the beginning of the film sets this story off. The big, royal wedding is packed with laughs with the intro of the bride-to-be, who Akeem has never seen or met. First, a large woman bursts through the crowd, scaring Akeem, only to find out that she's only introducing the bride.
From here, a set of about 50 dancers come out and perform an energetic, tribal, pop dance routine that Michael Jackson would be proud of, followed by the hilarious walk-down song by Oha called "Queen to Be," complete with lyrics like, "free from infection," only to have Akeem bring this woman to the back and ask her about her likes and dislikes. She only responds with, "whatever you like," followed by obeying any command she is given, including barking like a big dog.
Akeem's Wake Up Call
The first scene of the film sets the stage for just how funny it's going to get for the next hour or so, as a young Eddie Murphy turns 21-years-old in the film as the son of the King of Zamunda, making him the heir to the throne. A smattering of caretakers, both male and female, assist Akeem in brushing his teeth, wiping the spittle from his mouth, dressing him, cleaning him up after a morning bowel movement, all which culminates in his bath time.
This leads to a relaxing dip in a sauna-like hot tub, in which a topless lady appears from under the water notifying the prince that he is now completely clean, resulting in a big laugh.
Soul Glo Commerical
A ripe, pure 1980s commercial that convinced the world that a large, wet Jheri curl was the GQ style for any hip person wanting to be seen on the town is a big part of this film, as its antagonist (Eric LaSalle) is the son of the owner of said Jheri curl company, Soul Glo.
Akeem and Semmi watch this commercial with its epic and overly drawn out music. It's a catchy jingle with a funny scene of two naked people making out with their hair in the spotlight and it convinces Akeem to cut off his hair he's been growing for 21 years.
Sexual Chocolate
There was a time not too long ago where big makeup effects wizards like Rick Baker (An American Werewolf in London) would lend their talents to comedy films. Murphy is a big fan of being made up, as everyone witnessed in The Nutty Professor remakes, but it was with this movie where his love for makeup and fully immersing himself in a character came to fruition.
At the Black Awareness rally, a makeup-heavy Arsenio Hall plays the loud and proud Reverend Brown. After his speech, he introduces an equally made-up Murphy as a failed soap opera guest star and equally failed singer Randy Watson with his band, Sexual Chocolate. The outfits are electric sky blue, the singing is off-key, and his mic drop and foot stomp are epic and iconic. The audience's silent reaction is pure gold, making him both "good and terrible".
Barbershop
The barbershop sequences are some of the funniest scenes ever filmed, in which Murphy plays two characters, the gold-toothed barber Clarence, who talks more than he cuts Cuba Gooding Jr.'s hair, and the old, white Jewish guy named Saul, who tells dad-jokes and argues with everyone.
Meanwhile, Arsenio Hall sits in a barber chair eating takeout food, chiming in, and usually disagreeing with Clarence. As Akeem and Semmi arrive in America, they hear real Americans talking inside the barbershop about the best boxing champ in the world, advice on women, and meeting Martin Luther King Jr. It's quick, gut-bustlingly funny, and has some of the best dialogue in the film.