Coming to America (1988)

Considering Coming 2 America, the recent sequel to the original Coming to America was filmed 30 years after the original, one would expect the film to have a bit of a modern era makeover. 30 years of technological advancements should be reflected in the CGI and cinematography, 30 years of achievements in makeup and fashion should be reflected in the films wardrobe, and most importantly, 30 years of social progress should be reflected in the film’s representation.

Overall, the original was not particularly lacking in these departments. Although there are some jokes that don’t hold up, mainly involving men dressing up like women for shock humor (how repulsive!), the movie features a handful of inspiring women, namely Lisa(Shari Headley)and Queen Aoleon(Madge Sinclair). The film even passes the Bechdel Test!

By all means Coming 2 America was on track to continue the franchise’s decently “woke” trajectory into the present day, especially with the return of Shari Headley as Lisa, as well as the casting of KiKi Layne, Leslie Jones, and singer/model Teyana Taylor. So why did I leave Coming 2 America (and by leave I mean get up from my couch) with such a bad taste in my mouth?

While millions of American’s tune in to the Super Bowl to see which team will ultimately take home the Lombardi Trophy (the name of which I did have to look up), many movie buffs tune in for the exclusive new trailers and TV spots. While Disney released an exciting look at the new film Raya and The Last Dragon, which promises some much needed Asian representation to the studio, perhaps the most exciting trailer was for the loooong-awaited sequel Coming 2 America.