Coming to America (1988)

_**My all-time favorite comedy**_
In "Coming to America" (1988) Eddie Murphy plays the likable prince of a rich African kingdom, Akeem. He comes to Queens to find his future queen accompanied by his best friend & servant, Semmi, played by Arsenio Hall. He understandably wants a wife who will love him for who he is and not for his great riches. So they get hired at McDowell's, a McDonald's knock-off, where he meets the shining daughter of the owner (Shari Headley). Is she the one? Will she find a fast-food mop boy appealing enough to marry?
As noted in my title blurb, "Coming to America" is my all-time favorite comedy. Why? Simply because it's a laugh-riot from beginning to end. The first time I saw it was on TV in 2000 and I couldn't stop laughing; I saw it again last night (after purchasing it) and it had the same effect.
Everything works here -- the characters, the jokes, the story -- to make "Coming to America" one of the greatest comedies ever made.
GRADE: A+

Hasn't aged flawlessly, made some stylistic decisions that probably would have come across as weird even at the time, and not the sort of thing (American comedy) that typically appeals to me. But I can still absolutely see why _Coming to America_ is remembered as fondly as it is. I liked it by and large more than the most similar offerings of today.
_Final rating:★★½ - Not quite for me, but I definitely get the appeal._