Coming 2 America
#NoSpoilers COMING 2 AMERICA Review
3.5 (of 5 stars) Synopsis: Un-good, but fun.
Let's be clear from the start... unless Chadwick returned from the green veld to star in this film, there was NO WAY it would be as good as (let alone better than) the first. Coming to America is BLACK EXCELLENCE and holds a special place in our hearts because of what it represented and when. In 1988, you were lucky to find more than one Black person in a film (unless it was a prison scene). So a majority Black cast, starring one of the most famous (and controversial) Black comedians at the time, in a film that boasted a baller-ass African country with intelligence, beauty, compassion, and class... HELL YEAH, it is an indisputable and automatic cinematic classic.
Coming 2 America... not so much. And guess what, it doesn't need to be. That's the beauty of it. Not everything we do needs to be earth-shattering to be of value or be enjoyable. Black media is having a moment. An unprecedented moment at that. In the history of media, never has there been this much content created for, by, and about us in popular culture at the same time. Coming 2 America is un-good, but don't confuse "un-good" with bad. The film isn't bad at all. It's just not the game-changing, earth-shattering, emotional, cultural, intellectual, and social medicine we desperately needed. In 1988 we NEEDED a film like Coming to America, in 2021, not so much.
I get some of the complaints. Some of the jokes are cringe-worthy. The writing felt brutish and clumsy in places. Some of the actors came off flat and uninteresting and there were far too many "cameos". But still, I enjoyed it and Leslie Jones stole the show!!! As a community, we struggle with PTSD of Black portrayal and stories and media. There is still much work to be done. Yes, we are still fighting for access and equality, and opportunities, but we are also making them in ways we couldn't 30 years ago. We must always remember that our ancestors, our parents, hell US, we've all had to endure really ugly realities as a result of white supremacy, racism, and prejudice that at times have literally endeavored to kill us. And through it all, we've always found ways to love on each other. Whether it was that one animated field hand or roasting each other on the playground with "yo mama" jokes, love for us is often expressed through laughter. So, Coming 2 America won't be a revolution, but it will make you laugh, and sometimes that laughter is all the medicine you need at the moment.
















