Entertainment

BWN Nerds Review: Coming to America (1988)

Another week of Nerd breakdown on a beloved 80s comedy! Do the boys think of garbage when they think of Akeem?

Published

5 years ago

July 24, 2020

Chairshot

Another week of Nerd breakdown on a beloved 80s comedy! Do the boys think of garbage when they think of Akeem?

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Nerd Review! Every week the Nerds give you their take on a different cult classic from the Nerdosphere. This week the guys review the 1988 classic Coming to America

The Flick: Coming to America

What’s it About: Prince Akeem of the tiny African nation of Zamunda seeks to escape and arranged marriage by making a trip to the United States. Joined by his best friend and man servant Semmi, Akeem assumes a false identity and attempts to find his own bride who loves him for who he is in Queens, NY.

Metacritic Score: 47

The Nerds’ Take on Coming to America:

DPP: Coming to America tells the story of the Prince of Zamunda Akeem (Eddie Murphy), who travels undercover to New York City in an attempt to find a wife he can love and respect, and who loves him regardless of his wealth. Released in 1988, this film was during the height of Eddie Murphy’s career. It also featured Arsenio Hall, who plays Akeem’s caretaker and travelling companion Semmi, and James Earl Jones as Akeem’s father, the King of Zamunda. This is a great comedy with many hilarious characters, many of which are played by Murphy and Hall. When the duo reach Queens, NY, they are robbed of their luggage, and begin to see the locals wearing their clothing. Akeem doesn’t mind, willing to share his wealth with his new neighbors. He frequents the barber shop next to his apartment, where patrons argue about boxing. Akeem and Semmi get jobs as cleaning people at McDowell’s, a competitor of McDonald’s. Argued to be different than McDonald’s because they have the golden archs, as opposed to the golden arches. There, Akeem finds his bride in the boss’s daughter, Lisa, who works in the management office, and he spends as much time as he can getting to know her. This is a great storied comedy with scenes that are memorable to this day. The Soul Glo hair product commercial, and it’s continued joke throughout the movie is iconic. Eddie Murphy’s character of Randy Watson and his band Sexual Chocolate, looking like Little Richard, does a hilarious over the top job at an attempt to sing and entertain at a charity event. You will also see a young Cuba Gooding, Jr. getting a haircut in the barber shop, as well as Samuel Jackson playing a robber at the restaurant. I cannot recommend this movie enough. There are so many great lines and scenes that stand the test of time in comedy.

DPP’s Rating: 4/5

Patrick: When Bandwagon Nerds did their 80s project episode marking the top ten comedies of the decade, Coming to America was on my list. This film, to me, showed Eddie Murphy at the height of his comedic powers. Directed by John Landis, this comedy classic is not only funny but also is an incredibly inciteful reflection of a black community in Queens, New York.

The story follow Murphy in the role of Prince Akeem of the fictional African nation of Zamunda. Akeem is restless in a life that pampers him at every turn. We see servants brush his teeth, throw rose petals at his feet and even bathe him. The final straw for Akeem in his desire to escape his restrictive life comes when he learns he will not be able to choose whom he will marry. Akeem lies to his father and asks to travel to America under the guise of “sowing his royal oats.” Accompanied by his man servant Semmi, Akeem pretends to be a poor student and tries to find a woman who will love him for who he is, not what he is.

The laughs come early and often in this film. From the ridiculousness of Akeem’s life in the palace to the inevitable culture shock of being a poor black man in New York, Murphy adeptly brings laughs left and right. For the most part many of the jokes in the film still hold up although modern audiences may find themselves feeling a little uncomfortable with some jokes. So much of the humor in this reflective of Eddie’s life growing up and living in New York. The scenes in the barber shop for example still ring true today even as we laugh at the arguments by the old men in the shop. Much like vacation, the comedy works because there is real truth in the jokes.

We’ve been on a hot run with casts with these movies. Eddie Murphy gets to show his versatility taking on four different characters in the film. Not to be outdone, Arsenio Hall plays Semmi as well as three unique characters all his own, who doesn’t love Reverend Brown? From there you have an A list of talent rounding out the cast: James Earl Jones, Madge Sinclair, Eriq La Salle, John Amos, and Louie Anderson. There are even cameos by then little known actors Samuel L. Jackson and Cuba Gooding Jr. At a time when a cast dominated by people of color at the heart a mainstream film was a rarity, the casting here was well ahead of it’s time. And in the end that’s where I rank Coming to America. This film was funny then, yes. But as you can see by the Metacritic score, the media didn’t get it. Maybe they weren’t ready. More likely, they just couldn’t relate because the humor at the root of the film would have been alien to them. Today, much of Coming to America doesn’t feel irrelevant or dated. In fact, outside of the dated fashion this film feels like one that could debut tomorrow and it would have be HUGE. There’s rumors a sequel is coming to theaters eventually. Here’s hoping Akeem is back sooner rather than later

Patrick’s Rating: 4.5/5

Dave: In the 1980’s one man stood above just about all others as the king of comedy. That man was Eddie Murphy. Murphy had transitioned from a centerpiece of Saturday Night Live to the star of two of the most popular stand up comedy specials of the 80’s in Delirious and Raw, to the star of a steady stream of tremendous films such as 48 Hours, Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop. As great as all those films were, and still are, Murphy may have saved his best work for 1988’s classic, Coming To America.

Coming to America tells the story of Prince Akeem, crown prince and heir to the Kingdom of Zamunda. We join Akeem on his 21^st birthday and he has grown tired of being pampered, taken care of, and relatively not in control of his own life, or even the ability to wipe his own backside. It appears royalty has a price that Akeem has grown weary of paying and when he is introduced to his soon to be wife, Akeem arranges a deal with his father, King Joffer (played by the incomparable James Earl Jones), to go to the USA with his friend and trusted advisor, Semmi (played brilliantly by Arsenio Hall), for several weeks prior to his wedding. The King believes Akeem is going to America to sew his royal oats. Semmi believes they are going to America for “40 days of fornication”. In reality, as Akeem confides to Semmi, he is going to America to find a bride that he can truly love and who will truly love him back. It is actually an old-fashioned love story wrapped around tremendous acting and magnificent comedy.

Murphy is beyond awesome in this movie because he not only plays Akeem, but he also plays three other roles including: soul singer Randy Watson; an old, white, Jewish barbershop patron; and one of the barbers in the barber shop. Hall pulls off multiple roles as well including a reverend, one of the barbers at the barber shop, and a rather unattractive patron at a bar that Akeem and Semmi go to who promises to tear both men apart. It is all fantastic fun and represented the crowning achievement of Murphy’s early acting career. In the end, Akeem meets Lisa McDowell, daughter of Cleo McDowell, who owns and runs a fast food restaurant that bears a striking resemblance to McDonalds. Akeem and Semmi get jobs at McDowells, foil a robbery by a young Samuel L Jackson, and never really let on who they really are….at least not until Lisa’s sister figures a few things out. Meanwhile, Lisa and Akeem genuinely fall in love with each other and all seems great…until King Joffer shows up and blows Akeem’s cover. Lisa cannot understand why Akeem did not tell her the truth and it seems as though Akeem has lost his true love….until the twist at the very end which results in a super happy ending.

There is nothing to complain about with this movie. It is equal parts heart-warming and hilarious. The performances of everyone involved, especially Murphy and Hall, are some of the best in any comedy of the 80’s. There is a bit of a “hero’s journey” going on in this movie and it is impossible not to root for Akeem to get the girl, which he does. Akeem’s transition into manhood is something that will cause you a couple of hours of enjoyment and if you aren’t laughing out loud as Akeem and Semmi meet several women in a local bar, all of them with “severe emotional problems”, then your taste in humor is clearly different than mine. Coming to America is another movie I simply cannot recommend enough. With a sequel coming out in December (subject, of course, to COVID-19 screwing that up too), the time has never been better than now to return to Zamunda and get reacquainted with Akeem, Semmi, Lisa, and the rest of the gang.

Dave’s Rating: 5/5

Overall Nerds Rating for Coming to America (1988): 4.5/5

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Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu News Report! (5/9/25)

June will be electric!

Published

1 day ago

May 9, 2025

Steven Mitchell

Prepare for the most electrifying even of the HPW calendar!

While the stage is set for Blood & Thunder 4 and the HPW World Trios Championships, HPW must also address the return of KAGE!

Thundra Plateau is ready.

Wrestling is Life, but life has its stormy weather. The rain is going to be hot in June, but will the reign continue through the Summer? The Dark Forces may have failed to take the Undisputed Triforce World Championship from Zelda, but they still have the World Trios Championships. Harlequin, Lupay & Glutko will step inside the double ring, double cage to defend their gold. On one side, Arrow Club’s special combination of Fin Balure, Torbevito & Bad Croc Scaly. On the other, a new combination of its own in Cia, Lana & Midna.

Speaking of Cia, Lana & Midna…

The three of them are together, dressed in workout attire, in what appears to be a dance studio. This is a collaboration stream for Midna and Lana as they’re both big presences on the internet, aka “influencers.” Lana and Midna wave and say hi, and they give introductions, including Cia, who is reluctant to be standing there. Cia doesn’t know why they need to do this. Lana says they have to improve their teamwork. They may have won against Los Taros Locos, but it was really sketchy there for a second. Midna adds that doing a dance routine together is great for their timing and coordination.

Cia says she didn’t mean that, she meant having to stream it! Oh, well obviously, combining Midna’s viewing audience with Lana’s, and HPW’s overall, this makes huge numbers! So? And huge money…! Cia raises her eyebrow and says, “Oh really?” The trio sets up, and Lana says obviously they first have to learn the steps. Midna brings up, “Wait, what song are we dancing to?” Oh, good point. Lana was thinking something from Lulu. Cia asks, “Lulu? From the Indigo-Go’s?” Midna says Lulu’s got a great solo album. Lana agrees! That’s so great that they like the same music. Cia isn’t as familiar with her solo stuff, so she’ll rely on them for this.

Lana suggests they go with Energetic Me. For one, it has the most energy, duh. And it still has a dance vibe, which is the whole point. Midna says she might’ve gone with Royal Discotheque or Ten Outta Ten, but she sees Lana’s point. Lana shows them the dance moves she has in mind. Left arm up, bent at the elbow, and the hand up against the side of the chest. Then they switch so the right arm goes up to mirror that position while the left hand goes back to the hip. Maybe add a little hip pop as that happens. Do that a couple times, and then turn to the right. This puts the left hand on the back of the hip, right hand on the back of the neck for a sexy pose.

Then you turn to flip it the other way, then do a 360 with a big neck whipping, hair flipping move. Then finish with feet apart and double V’s up by the eyes, maybe with a wink. Cia says, “Yeah, okay…” while Midna says, “I like it!” Midna says she’ll set up in the middle. Cia asks why Midna is in the middle, and Midna says it’s symmetry. She’s the tallest, Cia and Lana are about the same, it makes sense. Yeah, but it also means Midna is the center of attention. Well, that’s just coincidental. Lana says it doesn’t matter, the point is them doing it all in synch. Cia sighs and says, “Fine.” Midna is in the middle, Cia is on her right, and the music plays.

Left arm, right arm, left arm, right arm, pose to the right, pose to the left, 360 spin and neck whip, then double V. Midna nailed it, but Cia was lagging. Cia defends she was not, but Lana says it’s alright, they’ll just keep trying. They run through it a couple more times, they do tighten it up, and all three feel really good about how that went.

The Dark Forces are watching.

They aren’t impressed by the “little dance party.” Harlequin says the Faces of Evil are way better anyway. Especially with the classics like the Thriller dance and Macarena. Zant says, “The Macarena? Pfft, and people think I’m a dork…” Harlequin says, “Don’t you dare mock the Macarena!” Harlequin changes tabs on the computer and starts playing the song! After the introduction, he lifts his right arm up flat, then his left. Then he turns the right hand up, the left hand up, puts his right hand on his left shoulder, left hand on right shoulder, then moves right hand up behind his head, and then his left.

Now his arms crisscross, right hand on left hip and left hand on right hip, to then switch so right hand on right hip and left hand on left hip. And of course, he swivels his hips in one big circle to go with “HEY~ Macarena! AIGHT!” Zant rolls his eyes while Harlequin keeps going, jumping 90 degrees to his left. Ganon walks in, Ghirahim following behind, and he tells Harlequin to “turn that crap off.” Harlequin pouts but he does as told. Ganon seethes as he takes a seat in his big arm chair. “Needless to say… Wrestling is Life didn’t go how I’d hoped. What was Kage even doing there?! Did either of you have any idea he was going to betray us?!”

Zant and Ghirahim are a bit flustered. Zant isn’t even sure Kage was part of The Dark Forces at the time Ganon took ownership. He’d kinda gone rogue at some point, didn’t he? Ghirahim agrees, it didn’t seem like he was even aligned with Cia and the others. All the more reason for Kage to keep his nose out of Ganon’s business! If Kage cared about the Dark Forces, then he would’ve helped them fight back at HyruleMania, or any time since. Kage clearly just wants the title, same as Ganon, so he’s a dead man walking. Speaking of that… Where’s Kevin? He came back in April, why isn’t he here?

Somewhere dark and spooky…

Heavy footsteps can be heard echoing as Kevin Gibdo moves down the hallway. He speaks with a low, airy voice, “Majora… Your madness… spread like wildfire… You thought by setting me ablaze… I would crumble into ash… You were wrong! Instead, I have been purified…! Purged of flaws and weaknesses… I now come forth… as gold!” There’s a light at the end of the hall, and Kevin enters a grand hall, with treasure gleaming in the light. At the center is the sarcophagus. Kevin walks up to it, opens it, and then his burnt and tattered bandages fall away before he steps inside. The sarcophagus closes, then the eyes on it begin to glow… Then the entire thing glows!

The glowing becomes a shining light, and that shining becomes so bright that nothing can be seen. It is clear things between Kevin and Majora are not over. Will the Masked Monster even stand a chance once the Gibdo of All Gibdos is restored to full strength?

Back to the Dark Forces…

Shabonne says, “I’m sure Kevin is just fine doing whatever Gibdos do on their time off.” Tali says, “What matters is what I’m about to do to that tiny little weasel with the Goddess Championship. If The Dark Forces is gonna have all the gold, then I need to squash her like a bug and take that title off of whatever’s left!” Ganon nods and says he likes the initiative. Tali will start on her own Triple Crown as the Dark Forces will make Hyrule Pro-Wrestling their kingdom! The group cheers while raising a toast! And then Harlequin gets Glutko and Lupay to join in on the Macarena, to which Ganon groans and facepalms.

And so, the ThunderStruck card is set!

The double ring, double cage will rattle with Blood & Thunder as the HPW World Trios Championships are on the line! The Gerudo Ace looks to settle a grudge with the Hero’s Shadow! And now, the Million Rupee Championship and HPW Goddess Championships will also be on the line! Will the Dark Forces absolutely dominate the Summer? Be ready to endure the heat on Friday, June 20th!

About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Bandwagon Nerds

Bandwagon Nerds #287: Filling A Void

The Nerds review Thunderbolts*, check out the latest trailers, and celebrate Star Wars Day as only they can!

Published

6 days ago

May 5, 2025

PC Tunney

The Bandwagon is stripped down this week as Dave and PC Tunney helm the ship for a big week in the Nerdosphere. Naturally, we are covering Thunderbolts as Dave, Tunney (and the rest of the Bandwagon, for that matter) all saw the latest entry into the MCU. What was the consensus, and did the longest post-credit scene in MCU history push the Universe in the right direction? In other MCU News, we discovered why Hawkeye had no second season. From there, the guys head into the Trailer Park to look at the latest, including a sizzle reel for Netflix’s TUDUM event, Dwayne “The Rock ” Johnson’s latest movie, The Smashing Machine, and a very creepy look at Weapons. GTA 6 got delayed, again….but could that be a blessing in disguise? But this Episode was recorded on Star Wars Day, and to commemorate the event, Dave tries his best to convince Tunney to watch Andor, while Tunney tells Dave what he likes most about one of the most successful franchises of all time. All that, plus Dave tells you why The Last of Us is the best show anywhere on TV. Dave & Tunney cover a lot of ground in an action-packed episode of BWN, so make sure you tune in!

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PROWRESTLINGTEES.COM/TheChairshot – Makes a GREAT GIFT!!!

About Bandwagon Nerds

Join Patrick O’Dowd, David Ungar, PC Tunney, Rey Cash, and DPP as they keep everyone up on all things nerd and maybe add some new nerds along the way. It’s the Bandwagon Nerds Podcast!