At the height of his fame in the late 1980s, comedy superstar Eddie Murphy led “Coming to America,” an uproariously funny film co-starring James Earl Jones, Arsenio Hall, John Amos, and Madge Sinclair. Both Murphy and Hall played multiple roles in the film, a practice Murphy would repeat several more times in his career. But here, his main role was as Prince Akeem, a foreign royal whose father, King Jaffe (James Earl Jones) has arranged for him to be married.
But seeking a bride of his own choosing, Akeem and his friend Semmi (Hall) flee to New York City. There, Akeem meets the lovely Lisa (Sheri Headley) who is swept off her feet by the undercover Prince. Trouble arises when his father the king arrives in New York to find his son engaged to a strange American woman, while Lisa’s father does not approve of their marriage … until he finds out that Akeem is really a royal.
Reuniting director John Landis and Eddie Murphy, who collaborated on “Trading Places” a few years prior, the picture was a big hit, with James Earl Jones delivering a wonderfully witty performance as King Jaffe.