What can we expect from this sequel, 33 years after A Prince in New York, which is one of Eddie Murphy’s great successes?
What is it about ?
In the lush and royal land of Zamunda, the new King Akeem and his staunch confidant Semmi embark on a whole new comedic adventure across the globe, starting from their great African nation to New York’s Queens neighborhood – where it all began. More prosaically, Prince Akeem – having only daughters – returns to Queens to meet there the son of whom he did not know until then the existence so that he becomes his heir.
A little taste of nostalgia
Thirty-three years after the success ofA prince in New York, realized by John Landis and with a Eddie Murphy at the time at the height of its fame, here is an unexpected sequel directed this time by Craig Brewer. This is not the first collaboration between Eddie Murphy and the filmmaker since the latter directed the film. Dolemite Is My Name, released in 2019 on Netflix and in which Murphy puts himself in the shoes of the comedian Rudy Ray Moore, a mythical character of the blaxploitaton.
A Prince in New York 2 follows in the footsteps of his predecessor with raging humor. In addition to the performances of Eddie Murphy and his sidekick Arsenio Hall, in the role of Semmi, we discover those, colorful, of Wesley Snipes who plays a general with a bellicose tendency from the neighboring country and of Leslie Jones, the biological mother of the son. of King Akeem whom she met one evening through Semmi and who drugged Akeem just before “seducing” him. Suffice to say that both play without pressing the brake pedal.
On the side of the infernal Murphy-Hall duo, old habits are not being lost. They continue to practice the art of disguise with undisguised pleasure. We find of course the small band of the hairdressing salon, all played by Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall, the silicone wrinkles in addition. A reverend overwhelmed here, an old wizard there, a libidinous singer at the end of the film… the duo have a great time trying to deceive the viewer throughout the 1h44 that make up the film.
We also note the participation via cameos of several personalities from yesterday and today. Morgan Freeman, comedian Trevor Noah, singer John Legend or even the groups En Vogue and Salt-N-Pepa… all come to make an appearance of varying length and thus pay homage to the former king of comedy. As promised, A Prince in New York 2 delivers its share of pranks. It remains to be seen whether the public of the time and that of today will be there.
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