Coming To America Main Characters Ranked By Likability
Coming To America: Main Characters, Ranked By Likability
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There’s a reason why people are so excited for the upcoming Coming to America sequel: the original is a true classic full of memorable characters.
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In 1988, a comedy hit the theaters that would forever change the way moviegoers viewed rom-coms. Coming To America was unexpected, combining elements of a romantic comedy with the over-the-top comedy of movies like Beverly Hills Cop. By this time, Eddie Murphy was making a name for himself outside of his Saturday Night Live skits. Murphy was about to hit super-stardom as Prince Akeem, the heir to the throne in Zamunda.
While Murphy and co-star Arsenio Hall played multiple roles— and those roles comprised most of the funniest ones in the film— the cast was rounded out by many wonderful actors playing terrific parts, though some were more likable than others by design.
10 Darryl Jenks
Darryl became Akeem’s competition when it came to the affections of Lisa. Darryl and Lisa were dating, but Akeem didn’t care. In his mind, Lisa could do better. But Darryl did his best to show up Akeem every chance he could get. Darryl’s family had money and Akeem didn’t— at least, that’s what Akeem wanted everyone to believe. To Darryl, Akeem was at the bottom of the barrel.
Darryl was self-centered, cocky, and spoiled. He did seem to love Lisa, but he couldn’t get out of his own way. In the end, his loyalty shifted after being dumped by Lisa so he took his chances with her sister, Patrice.
9 Imani Izzi
Not really a central character but maybe an important one, as her brief presence in Coming To America set the tone for the entire movie. Prince Akeem was set to marry Imani but he didn’t know who she was or what she even liked.
Before they exchanged vows, Akeem took her into a room where one of the funniest scenes in the movie took place. Akeem asked Imani to hop on one leg and bark like a dog just to see if she would show any agency or just blindly do what Akeem told her to do without question or complaint. From there, Akeem knew he wanted more than a wife who lived only to serve him.
8 Patrice McDowell
The youngest of the McDowell daughters, Patrice lived in the shadows of her older sister and was resentful of that fact. More into the culture the younger generation followed, Patrice was looking for a come up, as it were. She wanted Akeem, but when told that Semmi was the true king, her interest shifted.
Viewers could tell that Patrice was spoiled. She lived a life much like Akeem did in Africa. Everything was spoon-fed to her which made her character comes across as a needy brat.
7 Queen Aoleon
King Jaffe Joffer was the ruler of Zamunda, but the Queen was the ruler of the castle. One of the best moments of Coming To America was the scene at the breakfast table on Akeem’s birthday when the King and Queen went back and forth regarding their marriage.
Without the Queen, there would be no Lisa and Akeem at the end of the movie. It was the Queen who told her son to go after the woman he loves and it was the Queen who told Jaffe to “put a sock in it.” A small role, but very powerful, and also a bit ahead of its time in terms of showing a female character who didn’t just blindly bow to her “king”.
6 Oha
Oha was the King’s right-hand man. He looked after the royal family. Much like the King and Queen, Oha didn’t have a huge role in the movie. However, in his short time, his presence was felt with his song at Akeem’s and Imani’s wedding, “She’s Your Queen To Be.”
Cool and calm while onscreen, nothing appeared to faze Oha. He never smiled and always held a determined look on his face. A small role, but he played a huge part in making Coming To America one of the best romantic comedies of the ’80s.
5 King Jaffe Joffer
Deep-voiced and protective, King Jaffe Joffer wanted the best for his family. He let his son go to America with the notion that he wanted to sow his royal oats with American women. Once he got the news that Akeem actually went looking for love, the King lost it. He almost single-handily caused his son great heartache because he was too stubborn to see the bigger picture.
Not as much of a central character as Akeem or Semmi, but the scenes that King Jaffe Joffer were in, were all legendary in their own right.
4 Lisa McDowell
Lisa was the object of Akeem’s affection but she was already involved with Darryl when Akeem came to America. Lisa helped her father run their business, but was soon beginning to realized that she never carved out a path of her own. When Darryl proposed, Lisa felt blindsided.
Of all the characters, Lisa was not big on the comedic side of things. She was a love interest, but what loses her a few likability points is how hard of a time she gave Akeem for not telling her the truth regarding his princely status. He “lied” because he wanted her to fall in love with the man, not the money, and she shouldn’t have taken so long to see that.
3 Semmi
Semmi played the role of loyal sidekick to Prince Akeem to a tee. He was there when he was needed, but being in a new country and experiencing new things, Semmi got a bit out of hand. He lied to Patrice and said that he was the king and even defied Akeem on multiple occasions.
Akeem was the serious one, while Semmi added more comic relief to the story. A popular fan theory is that Semmi is actually Akeem’s younger brother, which would definitely explain a few things, such as why Semmi is so bitter about Akeem wanting to live like a commoner rather than a prince.
2 Cleo McDowell
Cleo is the head of the McDowell household and family business. Cleo is a go-getter and wants nothing but the best for his two daughters. He’s a hard man to get along with, but with Darryl, Cleo was ready to welcome him into the family based on the status of Darryl’s family. When it was revealed that Lisa was now interested in Akeem, Cleo wasn’t too thrilled as he saw Akeem as unworthy of his daughter (especially in comparison to Darryl).
Cleo may have come across as an opportunist, but the truth is, he’s a survivor. He’s a self-made man who made something of himself and just wanted the best for Lisa. Him being extremely happy when he found out Akeem was a prince is hard to blame him for.
1 Prince Akeem
Prince Akeem headed to America to find his bride, instead, he found obstacles that showed viewers just how different his upbringing was to American citizens. Akeem went looking in all the wrong places but still managed to find the one he deemed suitable. Leaving behind his wealth, Akeem took on the life of a normal New Yorker.
Akeem had a heart of gold but his determination is what set him apart from his friend Semmi. He wanted to distance himself from the royal life so he kept that a secret. His goal was to fit in, but it was impossible to do that when royalty runs through your blood.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/coming-to-america-character-likability-ranking/
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