When I rewatched the original Coming To America this week, I was struck by its timelessness - every scene still worked, every laugh line still felt quotable/funny. In 1988, it somehow managed to be both a classic fairytale and something that felt remarkably fresh (All Black cast?! Actors playing multiple characters?!). This movie meanwhile is...fine? I could not help but enjoy seeing the actors and their characters again, but that's not a movie. That's a reunion special. So we wound up with 2 different things happening: an updated version of the first film starring Jermaine Fowler and a bunch of cameos from the original. It is entertaining in fits and starts. But it is not timeless. It is not even cohesive. I have probably watched Coming To America 20 times, but I'm not sure I'll watch this one more than twice.
