Crocodile Dundee II (1988)
The 1980s were full of fish-out-of-water fairy tale comedies in which an outsider — whether a foreigner from another country or an alien or a fantastical creature from the sea — arrives in America, usually specifically New York City, and experiences a madcap culture clash. Coming to America was one such movie, arriving two years after the smash hit Crocodile Dundee presented the idea with a man from the Australian Outback taking a trip to the Big Apple and falling in love.
Even the first sequel to Crocodile Dundee beat Coming to America to theaters by a month. This time, the plot brought the action back to where the first movie began, to the original home of the title character. It’s not so much a new fish-out-of-water tale like Coming 2 America is, though, as its precursor had already established the Outback as a strange land for an American character as well, but it’s still an interesting parallel with the Coming to America sequel as far as u-turning film franchises go.
The Blues Brothers (1980) and Trading Places (1983)
Regarding Craig Brewer’s John Landis fandom, the latter director’s filmography can be felt in Coming 2 America beyond the obvious direct link of the original movie. Trading Places, which stars Eddie Murphy in a rags-to-riches role, had already been slightly established as being in the same universe as Coming to America with its throwaway-gag cameos from Don Ameche and Bill Bellamy as their characters Mortimer and Randolph Duke from the earlier film. Coming 2 America expands on that by having Colin Jost appear as the white-privileged and nepotistically entitled grandson/grand-nephew of the Duke brothers.
As for The Blues Brothers, which Brewer has long established as being one of his favorite movies of all time, there aren’t any exact easter eggs that I know of, but the Saturday Night Live-spawned comedy classic starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd definitely influenced the Coming to America sequel. The director has said as much, bringing up the movie in interviews and explicitly telling the San Francisco Chronicle he wanted Coming to America to have “good old-fashioned musical numbers like in The Blues Brothers, but I could ground it in Zamundan culture.”
General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait (1974)
For this week’s documentary selection, I attempted to recall a film I’ve seen about a person living in America who becomes a royal figure in an African country (anyone?). I’m certain I did not dream of it but can’t seem to find its title. But that’s okay because Barbet Schroeder’s General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait is probably more essential, and not just to watch after Coming 2 America. The film is about the notorious Ugandan military dictator (who was also portrayed in the dramatic feature The Last King of Scotland), who is referenced a couple of times in the comedy sequel, and Wesley Snipes has even described his own military dictator character, General Izzi, as a “‘comical Idi Amin.”
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
Didn’t see this one coming, did you? Well, it’s one of the few specific movies actually acknowledged by the director of Coming 2 America as an influence, and that does make a lot of sense. The Broadway musical adaptation is about a Ukrainian Jewish family at the turn of the 20th century and its patriarch’s attempts to stick to local cultural and religious traditions in spite of his daughters’ desires to embrace change and even marry outside their community. Brewer told ScreenCrush:
“The thing that was important to me is that I was really inspired by ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’ It’s one of my favorite musicals. And I love the idea of a person who is entrenched in traditions for the right reasons suddenly realizing that the world is changing. And it’s also affecting the people that he loves, mainly his three daughters.”
Duck Soup (1933)
Any opportunity to recommend my favorite comedy of all time, I’ll take it. When I heard the name of General Izzi’s country — Nextoria — I immediately thought of Duck Soup and its fictional nation of Freedonia. The Marx Brothers classic focuses on Groucho being appointed the new leader of Freedonia at a time when a neighboring country, Sylvania, is attempting a takeover, similar to what Nextoria is hoping to do with Zumunda, whether through marriage or war.
Also, I’m not saying he’s on the same level or anything, but if anyone fills the parallel of Harpo and Chico shenanigans in Coming 2 America, it’s Tracy Morgan.
Related Topics: Coming 2 America, Craig Brewer, John Landis, Movie DNA
