The Rewatchables - ‘Coming to America’ With Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, and Wesley Morris

Episode Date: February 18, 2021

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons and Van Lathan are joined by the New York Times’ Wesley Morris to pick up a shift at McDowell’s and revisit the 1988 classic ‘Coming to America’ starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, and John Amos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey now, welcome to our Black Girl Songbook. This is the show where we celebrate Black women in music and the moments that make them. I'm your host, Danielle Smith. I was at By for a good long time, and now I'm collaborating with the Ringer and Spotify to bring you stories about the Black women who create the music that we live for. You will hear, in full, the songs behind those stories. New episodes of Black Girl Songbook drop every Thursday. Listen exclusively on Spotify.

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Eddie Murphy is Prince of Zamunda. Do you think just once I might use the bathroom by myself? He has everything. White first. Except what his heart desires most. I intend to find my bride. But where can one find a woman suitable for a king? Queens.

A couple rich fellows like you should be in Manhattan. We're ordinary African students. That'll be $300. Coming to America, rated R. Start to Wednesday, June 29th, at a theater near you. All right, Wesley Morris is here. Van Lathen is here. We're going to talk about coming to America

that has a sequel coming out pretty soon, which has made this movie relevant again. It came out in 1988. I'm going to start here about all these premiere magazines from basically the first issue in 1987 all the way through, 1992. And I went into the collection because I was like, oh, I can't wait to see what they wrote about coming to America. It's June 88. It'd be really interesting. I wonder what the piece is. I wonder if there's some little factoids. Nothing. Not mentioned. Yeah, nothing. In any issue,

no piece, no anything. And this was turned out to be one of the biggest movies of 1988. And it got me thinking, because I just know this movie because I love it. And it's Eddie and Eddie's my guy and I've seen it a million times. It's a way more ahead of its time movie than I think I realized even in the moment with the all-black cast and just what it was trying to do in 1988. So, Wesley, when you look at this in the big picture of stuff, where does this rank for you for the all-black cast, all-black film, stuff they were trying to do that was really ahead of its time?

Well, let's read. Let's think about this for a second, though. I mean, first of all, I cannot believe this movie was made in some ways because of how anomalous it was, given what else was happening in 88. It is the second biggest movie of that year. But it's also the same year as Good Morning, Vietnam, and who frame Roger Rabbit and Big,

and Crocodile Dundee 2 and 3M. Cocktail? There are no black people in the movies in 1988. Alphrey Woodardins Scrooge is maybe the best you're going to do. And, you know, Reginal Valje. Johnson in diehardt. Diehardt, yeah.

But that's kind of it. So it is interesting to see this movie exists in 88 as its own thing. But in the larger culture at this point in 88, like the Cosby show is on,

a different world is either about to start or has just started. You have an entire 1970s in which this, some version of this wouldn't have been entirely uncommon.

although the class issues that we can talk about later would make this distinctive. But, yeah, I mean, it's simultaneously behind a curve and yet at the same time making up for a lot of lost time. What do you think, then? Well, the interesting thing about this film to me is the way that I know that this film is just dripping with culture is that I can't remember the first time I saw it.

It's one of those movies that it feels like you saw in utera. Like literally you were born saying sexual chocolate. You know what I mean? You know what I mean? And so I just, for me, first of all, I was eight when it came out. So I was less aware of things to that degree, like period. And it was the most gigantic, hugest, biggest thing in the world for me, for us at that point.

It was almost the point in Eddie's career that really sort of, it was like the next thing. Coming to America was, this is the first time you start to see him as all the characters and that whole deal. It's almost the thing that it was almost like a look into the future of who Eddie would end up sort of becoming. Because the movie at the end of the day has a very like wholesome sort of takeaway. way. And it's black because of that. If it was remade today, like if it was just straight made today, like Tyler Perry would

make this. Like, you know what I mean? Like the movie where it's actually who you are, what you are, it's not the rich, well-to-do sort of black people that are the champions or sort of the heroes of the movie. It's getting it back down to, hey, man, community, us together. you're no better than me. So I don't know. For me, it's like a movie that's always been a part of my film-going experience

or my film watching experience. Yeah, and it's interesting because the reviews weren't great. And it's almost described when you read some of the stuff now, like it's a cult film. Meanwhile, it was the second biggest film in 1988. To me, like, we got to start with Eddie and the arc of Eddie because it's almost like if you're looking at him like an athlete, 48 hours training places, Beverly Hills cop,

and he's on SNL, and he's the best person who's ever been on that show, and he's in our life. Like, this is my favorite person other than maybe Letterman. And he's in my life a lot. And then he leaves SNL.

And then it's like, he's singing with Rick James. He doesn't make a movie for all of 1985, comes back in 86 with the Golden Child, which was the anticipation for that movie, was the head he's back. Oh, my, and it was like,

eh, it was okay. You're not fucking with the golden child It's fine I love that movie My expectation for Eddie We're 10 It's like a 7 and a half I want the knife

I love the golden child Right Then Beverly Hills cop Coming to America He puts those two back to back And it's like My guy is back Right

This is it He has laid the smackdown This is like LeBron Winning the two straight MVP's But it's kind of the end of the era For Eddie right Wesley, this is, then he kind of moves into a different phase. You go from 82 to 88, one of the great runs anyone's ever had, ever.

Yeah. Actor, actress, director, anything. And then this is it. This is kind of the farewell. And what's weird about Eddie's performance in this, it's, I guess, restrained? He's playing a character. Right, right, right, right. And really, where the real Eddie comes out is in all of these other characters.

And that was when seeing this movie, I remember when I saw it the first time, just being so delighted by like the barbershop. And it felt like S&L Eddie was kind of, they'd figured out how to move S&L Eddie into a movie. And I think that to me was the special takeaway in the moment. Yeah, I think that the, you know, to Vans point about how you remember this movie, I definitely saw it in the theaters when it came out. I don't remember watching it in its entirety until I watched it to talk to you guys. But I know every scene and I don't even think it's from having seen it. I think it's from people quoting it to me and us quoting it to each other or like saying, like reenacting it, you know, in the dorm room that, you know, I went to,

I went to a little boarding school and, like, coming to America was source material for so much comedy for, you know, my 11 and 12-year-old self. And, I mean, like, as for Eddie Murphy, I think that what, I mean, raw is, is 87. Oh, yeah, I forgot raw. Yeah, you're right. This happens, and the movie after this is Harlem Knights, right? Yeah. Yeah. So I actually find that his project is defined with this movie in an interesting way.

He's got like several projects, right? Like one of them is to sort of is to hold on to the standup comedian championship belt in Richard Pryor's league, right? While also like setting fire to Bill Cosby and, you know, those so-called respectability comedians. But in not that Pryor was a respectability. comedian, Cosby was. And to think about the way that in a movie like this and

Harlem Knights and the the Nanny Professor movies and even to some extent life, boomerang, all of these movies are about this class convergence

within black American. I mean, I think the African royalty aspect of this movie is a proxy for upper-class black people. And while also sort of like being very respectful of it. I mean, there's a version of this movie where like it is very disrespectful to African people culture. I mean, you know, you got a contrast with that with the way Eric LaSalle, for instance, talks to Akeem. But I do think that Eddie Murphy is secretly. you know, at war with himself about how Richard Pryor he's going to be versus how Bill Cosby he's going to be, right?

Like, what is, where is the, where is the line going to be for him as an entertainer with respect to how dignified my movies are going to be and how much my movies, the ones I'm responsible for, the ones I either conceive or produce and direct, what is, what am I'm saying about black family and black, black life that is, that is recognizable to black people as being in tension with, with itself. And that's true pretty much from a lot of the things he does after this movie. Well, that part's interesting because that was one of the reasons he was a comment on SNL because he's on that show, but he's also dipping into black culture in a way that, you know, just about nobody had done before. And I think that was one of the reasons. Like that became so memorable.

But yeah, you're right. Once we got to the mid-80s, remember he took some shit from Spike Lee? Oh, yeah. He took shit from everybody. Spikely did the classic beef up. Why doesn't, do you remember that van? Spikeley did the,

why doesn't Eddie Care? Why doesn't he try to put more black people in his movies? Why doesn't he use more black people behind the scenes? And really went at him at a time when Spike wasn't, this was pre-do the right thing. So I always felt like the coming to America Everything he tried to do in that movie Was a little bit of a response to that

Because he got called out And Spike had real juice at that point Well I think Eddie Well even so like there's even two Richard Pryor's right Yes yes right Because there's like Because the Richard Pryor I had to relearn the Richard Pryor that my dad knew

I had to learn all about that guy Because the Richard Pryor that I grew up with Was You know Brewster's Millions and yeah the toy the toy is a rough one but here's a thing though it's a rough one to a lot of people

it's not a rough one to me the toy was shot in Baton Rouge so it was a celebratory moment to us we look at the hey he's in the governor's mansion and blah blah blah blah blah so the toy is a five star you know what we're gonna do it's a five star cinematic experience for Van

the toy love the movie well this is the first positive feedback I've ever heard of the toy oh my god you because you don't talk to enough of people from South Louisiana. He like, that movie is a classic for us.

Like he's at CB God. He's doing stuff, whatever. So. Wonder wheel. Yeah, the whole deal. Yeah,

with Pryor, it was kind of pre-cocaine, Richard Pryor, and then post-cocaine, Richard Pryor. And the pre-cocaine, Richard Pryor, I think was probably the biggest

influence ever on Eddie. Post-Cocaine, Richard Pryor was probably where Eddie didn't want his career to go, I'm guessing. Right. And so when being, when I saw this movie, a lot of times also this movie played on sort of little almost miniature cultural things that black people are miniature cultural things. Like almost like microcultural things. Like for example, the idea that we come from a lineage of kings and queens in Africa, right? And this movie is the first time that we really on screen kind of in a real way, not even in the community. meeting way, we had to address like what we like those kings and queens. Like if we met the kings and queens in Africa that we used to instill ourselves with pride, like are they us? What would

happen if those two cultures clashed? Right. And I think that he knew that that was happening. And that it was the perfect device for Eddie to be who Eddie was. And this is the Richard prior point I was making. Is Eddie represented at that point? sort of triumvirate of people who did very, very much, in my opinion, they were steeped in blackness, but also were accepted by mainstream America. And it was, this happens in, do the right thing. They talk about it. Eddie, Michael Jackson, and Prince.

Where everything that they did was incredibly influenced and very inspired, we loved it, and then they loved it. It was almost a new kind of black star. And so this movie, which was to this point, the blackest movie that he'd done for it to like be as big as what it was, it spoke to Eddie being the screen version of Michael Jackson. It spoke to him being that guy that sort of could do something that was super duper black, but bring everybody in. Because the story is, it's very, it's rich, it's very culturally rich, but it's also very simple. Yeah. It's a guy who's been repressed this time not repressed by poverty or repressed by

in access to things. He's repressed by privilege and affluence. That's what's repressing him. And his repression is stopping him from being the best version of himself. That's a very black story. But it's not one that had ever been told because you're too rich. Like that. You know what I mean?

So he has to come here and reconnect with black American life in order to like fulfill. who he was. And so in a lot of ways, it was kind of daring. I mean, they're coming out and they dance and it's African, it's this. Like, I could see a lot of people being like, yo, this is kind of not what I'm into, but it worked. And that reason, for that reason, because there's something so familiar about it, I think that's why I had the cultural power that it did and that it still does, to be honest with you. Yeah, it's a fairy tale, right? I mean, it's a, it's a, it's a fairy tale with these little interesting moments between the sisters. Of, like, those are Jane Austen.

Those, that's Jane Austen. Like, pure and simple. The conversations the two of them have, the stuff with the dad, the, the, the Eric LaSalle character versus Akeem. It's not, like, another version of this movie would have made it a class issue between, you know, like somebody who actually worked at the restaurant and Akeem. Like, she has a boyfriend. Lisa has a boyfriend who already works at the restaurant. And, you know, he lives in Queens, too. and, you know, is, is poor, right?

And this is like, this is the job that he needs for his, for his life. It's not Louis, it's not the Louis, it's the Louis Anderson character, but played by, I don't know who it would even have been in 1988. It probably would have had to have been Eric LaSalle or her. Young Wesley Snipes. Or young Wesley Snipes who in 88, what was he doing? Was he around? He would have been around.

He'd been doing something. Or Denzel even could have played this part because, I mean, yeah, it was 88. like he'd done Bito. He could have done this part and it wouldn't have been strange. But instead, it's the Jane Austen thing where you've got two rich guys competing for the love of this woman

who is principled and wants the thing that she wants, which is the same thing that the prince wants. They both want principled partners in some way. And so there is just like a very sort of corny, basic, classical structure that it moves all of this sort of black cultural, all these black cultural ideas and questions and just experiences into. And that's the innovative thing that, well, we can talk about the Siskel Nieber thing later. But yeah, I mean, it was just, it's a very interesting movie without it necessarily having to be great.

It is just a perfectly successful entertainment. that is more sophisticated for not hitting all the buttons on the nose. I want Van mentioned Michael Jackson before. I want to put this in context because you're talking pre-hip-hop era, and this is a real moment, right? So Eddie's film in this movie in 87. Michael Jackson's bad comes out, I think probably sometime between August and October and 87. September 87.

Prince has the sign of the times. That's the sign of the Times documentary. That's 87. Yeah. Michael Jordan has become Michael Jordan in 87. That's the 87, 88. That's his MVP season. And Bill Cosby is still the biggest TV star in the world.

So you have these five super famous black people all kind of going parallel to each other. And they're not really competing. Can I add one thing, by the way? They all have different pieces of turf. Whitney Houston is also the biggest star in the world. Should have mentioned her. Right. Yeah.

So you got... Second after Michael Jackson. Yeah, I was going dudes. But yeah, let's throw her in. So you got six people on this parallel course. And Oprah. Sorry. Is Oprah really...

Is her show... Yeah, out of the game... Is she national at that point? Yeah. It's national. In 87, 88, yes. Because I think she has... I think Eddie goes on the show.

I don't know if Eddie goes on for this. But anyway, anyway. Well, and then the other piece you have, Arsenio. This is right around when he starts guesting for Joan Rivers. When they pulled Joan Rivers off, they're using these rotating hosts. And I remember, I was always up every night watching late night. And it was like, who's this guy?

This guy's great. He's really funny. They should give him the show. And it took like an extra year for them to actually give him the show. And his show becomes this people are on his show that were just not on late night TV before. So there's just all these different things happening all at the same time. And when I think about this movie, I kind of think about it in the context

of all those other things. There was this moment that it felt like it was happening where somebody like me, a white kid living in the East Coast, and all these people are my favorite people. And they're pushing the envelope in ways. You know, you have crews and Letterman, obviously, is set at that point,

Larry Byrne, all people like that. But it felt like there was something happening. Did you see that van looking back? Like that you're talking pre-hip hop, rap blowing up to way it was. Like this is like the end of some sort of era? Well, I think it's the beginning of one. I think it's the beginning of the era of the megastar,

which we are now out of, which sort of kind of began around this time. Every single industry had to have a megastar, somebody that was set aside, somebody that was bigger and better and untouchable. And it's so funny that you mentioned so many of these things. Like for me, when I first saw this movie,

I had actually probably seen the Arsenio Hall show before I saw the movie, because I was like a kid. So when I saw Arsenio Hall, that was even more reason for me to be super enthue. I was like, oh, look, I didn't know you can even do that. I didn't even, I'm like, oh, my, it's Arsenio Hall. And all of it.

And then there's, so when I say the era of the megastar, I mean the bona fide super brand. But super brand. But Superbrand that's in a familiar way. Take all of these people. Eddie was familiar to people to black culture because they had watched him grow from Saturday Night Live all the way into this. Whitney was familiar.

Why? Because she was, I think, Dion's niece and C.C.'s daughter. Right. So there was a story, right? Michael Jackson, once again, grew up with him the entire time. Bill Cosby. All of these people were black, not just mainstream American stars. They were black cultural brands.

Even Prince. Prince comes out as a funky genius, right? Somebody in the same vein of a Rick James or somebody like that, but that takes it to the next level. We understood Prince. And we understood all of these people. You could even throw in Jordan making the final shot as a freshman in college. We were from age 18.

Right. We got all of these people. These weren't people that became this that we felt like weren't us. And so there was something familiar about all of them. Something else about this movie, and then I'm sure we're going to talk about this. I'll bring it up now. I'll tell you how hot Eddie was. The bit parts in this movie, the small one-seen parts in this movie,

Victoria Dillard, Garcel Beauvais, Von Dierrez, Von Dukertis Hall, like all of the people that Samuel L. Jackson and people that show up just one scene, it's almost as if Eddie was the Sean McVey of movie stars, meaning that anybody that had ever been in a scene with him, they just said, okay, you're going to go have a career now. You did that in Boomerang, too. Same thing. So it was just, it's something that really hasn't been done since.

And now we're completely out of that era. It's like, doesn't even matter anymore. But it's something that hasn't been done since almost in any way. but yeah, it spoke very directly to the culture of that time as well. Yeah, and you talk about the 1988 movies, Wesley's point about how this was the only version of this kind of movie out there. The top 20, it's the only one. You go to the 21 movie, the 21 movie on the list is colors, which at least had black people. Maybe they were the villains in it.

But after that, you're going into like the 30s. shoot to kill, Sidney Pottier was in that. Oh, I didn't even saw that. Oh, yeah. Well, but Bill, it's interesting, too, because if you look at this list, if you look at the top 20, just staying, I can go down to 25. She's go. Read a test. Okay.

I'm going to read from first to... Do in-year releases, not calendar gross. Wait, what do you mean? I'm going to go from the top? I'll do it quick. You react. Okay. Rain Man, who frame Roger Rabbit, coming to America, big, twins, Crocodile Dundee.

die hard. Oh, I see what you're doing. Naked Gun, cocktail, Beetlejuice, Working Girl, Fish Called Wanda, Scrooad, Willow, Beaches, Rambo 3. Oliver & Company, I don't remember what that was. Bull Durham, Nightmare and Umstreet 4

in the Land Before Time. Those are top 20 movies of 1980s. Can I, can I say something real quick? Yeah. This is definitely, you know. No, Van, you cannot speak. Okay, right, right. But, okay, so there are,

there are some movies in there. Most of those movies are, they're white movies, right? But I'll say this. A lot of those movies, we watched the shit out of them. Oh, yeah. Like, there's he good,

Beetle juice. Like, we, like, when I say us, us, my dad don't love nothing more than some beetle juice. Hey, throw on that Beatles juice. That, that,

that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, they, a lot of those films were like, their hood classics, a lot of them. Like, a lot of, I guess it was a great movie year.

It just was, I'm not what I'm saying. Read the top five again because I'm thinking about some particular... Rain Man who framed Roger Rabbit coming to America big and twins. Okay. And I heard was seventh. Even twins and Roger Rabbit, twins is an order of pizza on a Thursday night. It comes

on CineMax. We're about to have a great time. I love twins. So there was a lot of stuff in there, but it wasn't... You guys were making the right point, but we loved a lot of those. No, right. The point is more to me that it exists on an island in which there just is no other... Right. I get it.

I mean, Alphrey Woodard, Reginald Val Johnson, who's the other person I named? There's another person. There's another black person in the top 20. I don't know who... That's it. That's it. Well, this is the point we made when we did one of the other Eddie movie pods

where there was this moment on TV in 82, 83 range, where he was, before Cosby showed up, where he was the only A-List black star on a TV show. Right. And now, unless you count like, Gary Coleman or Webster, people like that. They count, but there's an asterisk next to

and Nell Carter too, right? I mean, but they were doing very specific novelty characters. Yeah, so now you go to 88. Denzel's not Denzel yet. Spike's not a superstar director yet. I do feel like that, I feel like Eddie, we mentioned like Michael Jackson, Prince,

all those people. I feel like Eddie had the most pressure on him of anybody in those different fields. Because basically, if his, movie sucked, that was it. He had, he was the one that had the huge salary cap if he was a sports team, right? He had the chance

to make whatever movie he wanted with, whatever people he wanted to make it with, which there was only, how many people in 1988 could have said that, actors? Like Cruz? Was Cruz to that point yet? I think he was. Yeah, I think he was. He spent his ducats on

cocktail that year, but and it was number eight. Stallone? Stallone, probably. Stallone. Stallone and Schwarzenegger. I think that, I think it's just those four. And that's it. Maybe Harrison Ford, I think Harrison Ford could have gotten certain things done, but not. Well, I mean, yeah, I mean, he's still Harrison Ford. He could probably, you know, nobody's going to tell him no. All right. So you mentioned this is the first, first movie of its kind that became an Eddie staple. He's playing a bunch of different characters in the movie.

This is something that has now been, we're all used to. It's 33 years of this. This was groundbreaking in 1988. This was somebody really figuring out finally how to take some of the stuff that worked in S&L and sketch comedy and stuff like that and shoehorned into a movie in a way that felt organic and worked. And took advantage of somebody's skill set. And Eddie ends up doing it. He tries it in Vampire in Brooklyn, Nuddy Professor, the Clumps, Norbert. This became one of his staples. But Wesley, do you remember any version of it?

this before? I mean, Peter Sellers is the obvious person, you know, where, you know, an actor is playing, is that what you mean like a person sort of being multiple people in a film or like, like, milking Eddie's ediness for all it can do in a single, in a single moviegoing experience? A slew of different comedy characters. I mean, the difference here is he's using Rick Baker for the makeup. Right. And he is, uh, you know, know, Rick Baker, for people who don't know, is the guy who did the thriller makeup and was the iconic makeup guy in the 80s. He did Cicely Tice's makeup for Jade Pittman, too. Wow.

Yeah, I mean, I think that I'm pretty sure that's true. Or maybe Stan Winston did it. I'm going to, I'm getting my, I'm getting my great makeup artist probably confused. But the interesting thing about him playing all these characters in this, in this movie, is that I wonder how many comedic actors would say that the person that they're most inspired by as movie actors is Peter Sellers. Because Peter Sellers was simultaneously capable

of being extremely funny, was capable of creating these distinctive characters within the world of a movie, and also had this ability to be a great dramatic actor at some point too. I mean, we can debate what he's doing and being there, but it is definitely a departure from anything he had previously done. Right.

And I think that he, for a lot of people, I mean, the people that come to mind most immediately, I mean, maybe like anybody has ever been on SNL, but, you know, especially people who've left it and gone to movie making, like Mike Myers, for instance, there's something about being able, being free enough to play all these different people in a movie while also playing a version of your,

of your movie star self. Yeah. I don't know. I feel like the, he's the mold for that. Well, it even goes further because it's, Arsenio's doing it.

And then his childhood buddy, Clint Smith, is it the barbershop. Oh, yeah. As with old guy makeup. Is that who Clint Smith is? Just some friend it is? Yeah. Okay.

That's his best friend when he was a kid. Okay. And to me, I always wondered about that guy. Because, man, look, I wasn't supposed to laugh this much last night watching this movie again. I've seen this movie. Yeah. 500 times. Yeah.

And I swear to God, man, there is such a high bar that is set here. It's like, even when the friend right there, you know, I ain't never met no model. It's just hilarious. I don't know why. I have no clue why that is that funny to me. All of it is that funny. Kalika got pissed off. I rewound him stomping his feet saying sexual chocolate like five times.

It's just everything is working in the film. The little jokes are working. It's just like he's in his zone. And it's weird because you just said something that's so super interesting. You said, okay, if you don't know who Rick Baker is, you guys, right now you probably you might not but in in 89 90

Rick Baker was a celebrity like we like if when you like when you watched like because we didn't just watch we didn't have the internet so like back in my day so when you'd

written something on DVD you'd rent Thriller and then it would come in this this megapack with the making of thriller as well and so they talked to Michael they talked to John Landis they talked to Rick Baker and you kept hearing Rick Baker's name

So even when I'm hearing my mom goes, Rick Baker did the makeup on this stuff too. That's why it looked so good. The movie was a complete, it was an immersion of all of these great people. John Landis as well, the director of the film. It's just going to bring him up. Yeah, John Landis had done, you know, black or white. Not black or white. He had done a lot of great movies.

But the reason why we knew who John Landis was, at least was thriller. Was thriller because he had directed. thriller, you know, and looking back on some things that happened to John Landis, this was a very important movie for him as well to nail because there was some, you know, huge controversy and stuff that had happened in his career and stuff. He had, uh, I would say his comedy chops pedigree for me getting excited as somebody who's just a kid who loves movies. He's blues brothers trading places, spies like us.

Yeah. And when he was attached as a director of this, I didn't know anything. That actually meant something, man. like, oh, that guy's good. And then it's like, Rick Baker's did the makeup. John Amos is in this. John Amos. Once again, we know to be the greatest TV dad of all time.

Like, we know. But once again, like, that's what made the movie so, so interesting and so singularly unique. Like, John Amos is in that movie. We know him. James Evans. James Earl Jones. James Earl Jones. Like, these are actors.

Like, you didn't go out. Like, there was not, the movie wasn't. soft in that way. It was giving you real, real culture and for the mainstream audience, and it worked. Wesley, was James Evans the greatest TV dad of all time? Oh my God. I mean, I got a lot of feelings about TV dads and, you know, that'll take us down some rabbit holes. We'll save it for another five. But James Evans is definitely one of my favorite TV dads. Bill knows where I'm going to go, but. Oh, my God. James Evans is one of my favorite TV dad. Wow. He being in this movie, him, Him being in this movie was meaningful.

It really was. It was like, because I felt like he hadn't had the kind of career I wanted to have Matt. He was in roots. It's a real mystery. He was popping a bunch stuff. But yeah. It's a real mystery why whatever didn't happen for him didn't happen.

When he left good times, I mean, I mean, he left, he didn't leave. The show went on without him, basically. Well,

he got away from Jimmy Walker. He'd have enough. He's talked about it. And I, I wonder what happened with the rest of that I know what happened there weren't I mean I can imagine yeah there are not a lot of roles out there yeah

what parts were gonna play they weren't out there I mean it's just nuts to me that that there wasn't anything interesting for him to do he's such I don't think people realize what his approval rating was with just people I think they would have put him in more stuff if they knew how beloved he was but nobody

that's how it worked back there nobody thought nobody bothered to ask this movie written by Barry Blasstein and David Sheffield, who were two of Eddie's dudes on S&O who followed him through and were involved in a bunch of his good stuff. Nominated for two Oscars, best costume design, best makeup by Rick Baker. Mixed reviews, as we mentioned,

there's a great Siskel and Ebert YouTube clip that you can go watch. Siskel love this movie. Our guy Raj, which there's no review that he wrote of this movie, but we have this YouTube clip, he kind of kills the movie. He says, he calls Murphy's Porte's

performance, quote, lethargic. He said the screenplay was, quote, hackneyed. Couldn't believe in 1988 that they were so obsessed with looks and women, with looks of the woman in the movie, which is hilarious because he does this whole thing where he's like, I can't believe in 1988 that this is how we treat women or something like that. It's like, wait, Raj, it's going to get worse. He said, so Cisco goes, so you didn't like the movie. And he goes, I did not like this movie.

And then he's like, give him a screenplay. He was really, really mad and bitter about it. But I think that was one of the reasons people were kind of surprised that this became such a successful movie because a lot of the reviews didn't like it. Why didn't the reviews like it, Wesley? I mean, it is. I mean, it's kind of on its face, if you remove race, it's a movie about a prince looking for a princess. and he leaves his kingdom to go out into the rest of the world to find her. It's an old story.

I mean, on its face, yeah, that is a hackneyed piece of screenwriting, you know, at least structurally. Like, the story is sort of old. But I think that anytime in the United States where you take an old idea and you blacken it, it just becomes more interesting, no matter how good or bad the writing is. It's just inherently more interesting when you take a thing that black people have never done before

or never been asked to do or shown doing and you let them do it. It's automatically, even on a pure anthropological level, like what happens when you give black people an entire story that doesn't involve that doesn't revolve around racism or white people. What does black life look like according to black people?

Now, the director and the screenwriters are weight, but you always get this, you know, and those guys are taking stuff from Mel Brooks. There are a lot of Mel Brooks jokes in this movie, or Mel Brooks level jokes in this movie. A lot of like, borked, belty, Jewish humor sorts of jokes

that get like stuck in there and not just, with the Jewish guy that Eddie Murphy plays in the barbershop. Well, he's doing he's doing Gumbi with makeup. Just different makeup. It's basically the Gumbie character. But I do think that, you know, I just feel like, I don't want to say Roger is, I mean, he's wrong. Like, I don't necessarily agree with him.

I mean, it is, it is a little lethargic. But I think there's just all this interesting stuff that's happening that doesn't make the movie better. but it definitely makes it harder to dismiss. And I think the thing that is, chief complaint with the movie is that it's not letting Eddie Murphy be Eddie Murphy. And meanwhile it is. He's playing

all these different awesome characters in it. That's what I didn't understand with that review. Right. Well, I think there was a version of Eddie Murphy. By the way, to Wesley's point, Wesley's right, this is why I keep begging Hollywood. They said they were going to do it. They're not going to do it. I don't know if they're going to do it. Remake the Big Chill, all black cast. I keep trying to, I keep begging. I'm begging for the movie. I'll beg you. I'll continue to

beg. I mean, Van, I just wrote that in my head. Omar Epps just signed up. Right. I'm saying, they said they were going to do it. Remake the big chill, all black cast. I swear to God, they have never gotten the Twitter engagement that they're going to get when that movie comes out. Because the big chill is nothing but a bunch of mess. They got to do it. Anyway, so, but I'll also say, once again, this was a, he was used to one Eddie and this movie is the debut. of 82.0. So he was used to the wise cracking, I have to carry every single scene that I'm in.

Every scene that I'm in, if it's me and Taggart and Rosewood, if it's me, Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Aykroyd, even though I argued that that movie, everybody's getting off and trading places. Everybody is on their game. I was texting you guys about that movie.

Yeah, like if it's me and... It's coming on the rewatchables. If it's me and Nick Nolte, Eddie's doing his thing, every single scene. So there was probably something where he was taken aback by Eddie being less Eddie, but being more Eddie in other ways. So he hadn't seen that yet. But it still worked. I'd argue this was the most Eddie ever got because you got them in several different characters. Today's most rewatchable scene is brought to you by Crown Royal. Look at this box. They are celebrating

the new film coming to America because they appreciate that royalty can come from anywhere in the world, whether it's Zamunda, Canada, or those that come to America with a dream. This is delicious, by the way. I'm a Canadian whiskey guy. When they come to America, maybe they meet some lively characters, maybe several of those characters played by a single actor. To learn more about Crown Royal Celebration and New Royalty, follow the hashtag, hashtag Crown Black Royalty and see how they're honoring Black heroes in the community

today. We're going to do most rewatchable scene. I try to narrow this down. Would you Well, let me ask you, would you put Would you just put the opening With him waking up with all the stuff? Would that be a most rewatchable scene for you?

Just how the first five minutes of the movie starts Or is it too slow? Just a quick answer. No, I would like that. I would rewatch it, but I think it's too long. I think it's too long too. I remember like when I, when he finally Last night watching the movie,

I was like, yo, we're 40 minutes into this And he's really just getting to America. Like you know, right? Yeah, I think all that could go faster. We'll get to that and what stage is the worst. I'm going to put the first rewatchable scene, the presentation of the future queen. There's so many people in that scene. It's so lavish and over the top. Everything about it, it's really well executed. And then the whole thing where he's like, can I talk to you for a second? I like what James Earl Jones says, don't you have sex with the

bathers? I know I know I do. I am not sure if I am ready. son I know we never had to talk about this but I always assumed that you had sex with your baiters I know I do It's not that father Like they just sneak that in

I just enjoy it Next one first nightclub scene Wait Bill can I ask a question Yeah Or can I say something I just I The thing that I love about I mean I know

It probably does go on too long But the thing I love about that sequence is it is an old Hollywood trick to take these like this set piece and essentially like just bling it to bling it beyond belief. We're going to spend every single dime we can to make this look as real and as

lavish. There are elephants just wandering around the property like in the background. Just elephants just wandering past windows. I get it. Every I mean and think about like having that kind of attention as a person who's watched Cabin in the Sky, an old Vincent Minnelli movie from like 1941, I think, a bunch of times

and noticing just the things you notice in a movie as a black person with a bunch of people just milling about not really doing anything while like, you know, Lena Horn and Ethel Waters do their thing. Right. Like this movie has that except

you know, it's just taken to, like there are 400 people in this castle watching this wedding and you have to costume them all you have to dress all these people I would argue it's one of the most lavish

scenes of any pre-1990 movie There's like 400 people at the wedding Yeah it's such an old Hollywood trick We're like this scene's only going to last For about two minutes But we're gonna cast it You know we're gonna cast every single person Dress every single person

And just like make it look fabulous Because He can because we're Hollywood. Next one, first nightclub scene, which is really cleverly edited. They just work in a shitload of women in that scene, different characters, some great expressions from Eddie and Arsenio. And that ends with Arsenio and drag as the capper. Wesley, you can either make a veiled joke after this or we could just move on.

It's up to you. I mean, this is our fourth Eddie Murphy conversation. I got to say it. I mean, Eddie, you talking to us. Stop talking to us. Shut your mouth. Eddie. And the other great thing about that scene is

because the thing that's amazing about that scene to me is the way it's blocked, right? It's blocked so that the first like eight women are sitting, you know, it's shot reverse shot, right? So the camera's on the women and then there's a cut to Eddie in our. Arsenio. When it's Arsenio's turn, like, the blocking is different. The blocking is different. Eddie is now seated on the other side of the camera.

So the reverse shot in the reaction is just Arsenio reacting to himself, basically. Eddie is seated next to Arsenio and Drake. I hope you don't mind me coming over and sitting down. But I've been watching you all evening. And I want to tear you apart and your friend too. It's just, you know, God is trying to tell you something to quote the people of the color purple. I remember distinctly, my mom looking at her sister going, Okay.

Yeah, it was just so funny. Yeah, no, you're, does this seem make it into what's age the worst, though? Is we going to age fucking terribly. Like, it was like, it's like, it's all, it's all fronting. It's like, it's a great. The first. First of all, the movie in it of itself is dripping, even the whole device of, let me see which woman is good enough to make my life whole.

Obviously, that is what it is. But there are a couple of moments where you look at the movie and you're like, I'm glad we're in a better place. Yes. This is definitely 1988. Right. That's a great way to put it, Van. That's a great way to put it.

Next rewatchable scene, which is probably going to be my winner, Black Awareness Week. which features Arsenio's incredible character. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. You're happy to be here. Amen. Yes. You're going to be in.

Yes. I don't know what you come to do, but I come to praise his name. The Reverend guy, whatever his name was. Yeah. And then introducing Randy Watson and sexual chocolate to tepid applause from the crowd. It feels so lovely to be here tonight. What a beautiful. Give yourself a round of applause. You're so lovely. Everyone's so lovely.

And while you're in the clapping mood, I like to give a big round applause to my band, Sexual Chocolate. Sexual Chocolate. And you don't even realize it's Eddie for like 40 seconds. The makeup is so good. He looks like, I don't know, somebody who opened for Luther Vandross in 1976.

They all look like actual people and not Eddie Murphy in makeup. Right. It's everything is, that scene is just perfect. They're cutting in the crowd. The barbershop guys are in the crowd. It's just moving. Everything about it, it's just such a great six minutes. I just love.

Do you know why I work so well? For me, I've been to so many of those. I've been to so many those. First of all, okay, black awareness week. Just this big open-ended thing. That we just, and we have it for a week. We all go down. If anybody knows what I'm talking about in Baton Rouge

is at the Leo Butler Community Center, there's an event. We have to go down. And there's always a local celebrity that we are. Sick of seeing. This is the only guy that we could get. And there's always somebody, at that time it was like,

this person was a solid gold dance or something like that. It's like, and they get up there and they dance and we're like, yo, somebody needs to pop from Baton Rouge, man. I can't watch this again. And so the applause and, everything. That is so real

that entire sequence, which is why hysterical to me. Get this dude off the stage. Yep. We had a version of that at Fairmont Park. Not every year. I don't remember what we called it, but it wasn't Black Awareness Week. Because Black Awareness Week

is the like canned Peas version of what that week is, right? Right. Everybody, like any person who's been to such a thing is like, oh, that's what they should call it. Right. what Van described is captured so perfectly by the reaction to Randy Watson that it's like, oh shit, this guy again?

This is our night straight year with Randy Watson and sexual chocolate. He's back. God damn it. That seems great. And the thing that's great about that scene, though, to the point about like what blackness is doing among black people, the other true thing about that moment is he does not come out and sing super freak. What does he sing?

He sings the greatest love of all. greatest love of all. Which at that point is, I mean, for my middle school self was the bane of my existence. I never wanted to hear that song again. It's always saying, anytime somebody got a diploma, anytime somebody moved up a grade, we sang the greatest love of all. And it's just like the interesting tension because it starts with a beauty pageant and ends with this Rick James impersonator singing this song of,

of, you know, boring uplift. And it's not Whitney Houston so you can hear how mediocre the song actually is. Next one is just for me. It's the St. John's game. I just love seeing the 80s, Big East. Really brought me back.

Goes to the bathroom, gets recognized. That's my favorite scene, by the way. That's my second favorite scene. Oh, my goodness. Please, please stop bowing, please. I am a loyal citizen of Zamunda. Yes, but you're going to spill your beverages.

This is the greatest day of my life. Yes, it was very nice meeting you too. Excuse me. I mean, it makes me, I well done. I cried a little bit watching that because I don't think there are any other black people in the line, right, to go to the bathroom. I think it's just Eddie Murphy and Vindy Curtis Hall

until the other guy who works at the garden comes over and takes the picture who's also apparently from Zimunda. But there is something about this African dude seeing this other African dude, but also a black person seeing a black person who means something deep to him in this common space. It just, I mean, to see it the way he sees it, it actually is so moving to see his, his, his prints. You know, this person who means the world to him. just standing in line to take a whiz or he wasn't actually taking a whiz he's probably

cleaning his pants but you know just it just it's cleaning his mangook such a moving it actually that scene moved me and it wasn't funny in this way it was actually truly touching

and um no I get it I agree that's dope next one uh Akeem's first date with Lisa there's some good stuff happening in this scene but most important my favorite gimmick

in any movie, the cross movie cameo. All of a sudden, Mortimer and Randolph were back as two homeless guys. When this happened in the theater, I didn't know this was going to happen and I almost had a heart attack. I was just so overcome with joy and delight.

I love, so for people who don't know, Mortimer and Randolph were the guys that Dan Akron and Eddie Murphy turned the tables on and trading places, the Duke brothers. And they go bankrupt at the end. It looks like one of them's about to die. have a heart attack and that's it.

They're seeing in the movie. For them to pop up six years later was just such an incredible, holy shit, I can't believe it. And there scenes really funny. Mortimer, we're back. We're back. Thank you.

Let's do lunch because I remember my dad used to love that scene because my dad was like, those guys, that's all it's going to take. They're going to take that money. My father's all I was going to take that money. They're going to take that money or something. They're going to take that money and go and put it and they're going to be back, blah, blah, blah.

We expected a movie out of that. by the way. Never came. Never came. Last one for me is after the king comes back and we get a John Amos first James Earl Jones get a little dad versus dad clash. It's just, it's really good.

Both those guys are really good in that scene and he says, I'm going to put my foot in your royal ass. And it's the movies, it takes way too long. I think if we're going to do what's age the worst, I'm sure it's going to come up. But just the culmination in this movie, the only thing I don't have for rewatchable is just I love all the barbershop scenes. They're all

short. So I have that in what stage the best. But anything else I'm missing for you guys for most rewatchable? Bill, you don't like the scene where all of the characters come together to straighten the plot out? Yeah, it's fine. Oh! It's a little long. It's my favorite scene in the

movie. Okay. Go make the case. I'm a sucker. If I told you guys this, do you guys know this about me? I have two favorite things to happen in movies. Number one is party is party sequences. I love anything said at a ball, a party, like not like a house party,

but like where there's actual stuff happening and there are stakes and like, you know, to the point of like, to my point earlier about the way they trick out Zamunda to be just this like extremely expensive looking experience. I love it when a movie has a party sequence that like where you can see for a whole mile the depth of field is so deep and the room is so big. And there's a bunch of people in there and a lot of the people in this party matter in some way. There are a lot of different interesting characters in it.

I also love number two is the sort of bedroom, living room farce plot adjustment where like all the mistaken identities are explained, all the plot misunderstandings to get ironed out. The three's company ending.

Yes. Well, okay. Sure. Wait. Mr. Roper, you knew her? We can start with Pirandello, but I'll take Three's company. Let's do it. I really love when any work of culture

has a big living room farce ironing out of the plot. I just love it. And you've just got all this other tension. You've got these great actors, Amos and Sinclair, Matt Sinclair, who we have not discussed. She's coming. and

Jamesville Jones just the three of them alone like trying to like being on different sides of this should Akeem and Lisa be together question I don't know I just really I love that sequence I love it

Dan what do you got from us rewatchable? I love a sunken living room sorry go on I love a sunken living room too to me that meant you was rich back in the day I got the barbershop scenes.

The barbershop scenes, it's because they're so short that they're so rewatchable. Arguing over the same things that we argue over in the barbershop. But in their era, I got the barbershop scenes. I had that for the single best, what's aged the best for me because they were so short. But I'm happy to make an exception and say those collectively are the most watchable scene. I agree with you. I love those scenes.

And it's really good use of YouTube. There's a YouTube clip that just has all of them strung together. And it's like, all right, it's almost like its own movie. What's age the best? We mentioned Mortimer and Randolph crossing over. The barbershop, I, the Joe Lewis was 136 years old. That whole thing just fucking kills me. He keeps up in the age.

He's 65 years old. He was 76 years old. But compared to Joe Lewis, rocking mousana ain't shit. He beat Joe Lewis's ass. That's right. He did whoop Joe Lewis has. Joe Lewis was 75 years old when they fought. I don't know.

know how old it was we got it at with him. Joe Lewis had come out of retirement to fight Rock and Marciano. The man was 76 years old. Joe Lewis always lied about his age. He lied about his age all the time. One time Frank Sinatra comes out here and sat down in this chair. I said, Frank, you hang out with Joe Lewis. Just between me and you.

How old is Joe Lewis? You know what Frank told me? He said, hey, Joe Lewis is 137 years old. A hundred and 37 years old. Oh, man, you ain't never meet no Frank Sinatra. Bill, that's how it goes, bro. It was great. It's so funny.

It starts off with Kobe Barrett. Brian, this is how the barbershop take goes. It starts off with, I think Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan. All the clippers go off. Come on now. Yep. Come on now. You don't think that I'm telling you, I'm telling you he's better.

And then you throw out some stats that support your argument. By the end of the argument, Michael Jordan can't fucking hold Kobe Bryant's jock strap. And not even that, I'll tell you what. I'll take T-Mack over here. Yeah. Then it goes out for a rest. Everybody, that's the way that that goes. There's just a lot of like sneaky, funny lines that the more and more you watch it, it's really well written.

I've got something about the barbershop, though, just from a personal trauma standpoint. It's going to sound terrible. But I don't go into a barbershop where the average age is 75. I just can't do it. I have had too many shapeups that have gone. South. Yeah, it's true. I mean, I've had my headline push back to Antarctica.

Right. A few times. Another one stage the best. And this point can't be made strongly enough. Darrell and Soul Glow pretty much eventually taking out an entire generation of Jerry Curle guys. Jared Curl was in.

Michael Cage, A.C. Green. Michael Jackson. You can see it in music, Michael Jackson. And by about 1990 after this movie was in the blockbuster rewatchable over and over again and Darrell became the make fun of character in this movie I feel like it ended Jerry Curls. So the Jerry Curl lingered on

but this was the first time that it became mainstream to make fun of it which cut the life of it, right? Because around the same time that this movie's popping, there's another Jerry Curl movement happening on the West Coast with Ice Cube and them. And so they had curls for a little bit, But they didn't have them. I don't think about a second album

because at this point, the Jerry Curl joke has become a thing. And the Jerry Curl was always funny. There was a smell to it. There was a process to it. It was a whole deal. But this kind of was the beginning of making fun of it.

It was the beginning of the end of the Jerry Curl. I also think that the Soul Glow song was, it is just, it is a tour de force, like, it's so real. It's so just, you know, that commercial is a thing that you would just see on TV. Like, they didn't really have to do much to it except juice up the curl.

Right. But it just, I don't know. As a black culture joke, it is one of the funniest, most devastating because everybody, you just knew what the joke was. By early 90s, it was over. Yeah. I think you're right.

NWA was the last gasp, and then it was done. Right. The royal penis is clean, your highness. Always fucking kills me. It's just so good. What does dumb fuck mean I enjoy? I like John Amos explaining the difference between McDonald's and McDonald's where it's basically just the exact same restaurant.

He's like, so they have the sesame bun. Louis Anderson, his little cameo in here where he has the little monologue at McDonald's, has a second life with Gold Digger by Kanye West. I love Louis Anderson in this movie. Yeah, he used to do that all the time, by the way. So many things. Land it was apparently Landis's idea for Eddie to do the Jewish comedian thing and Paramount executives visited the set when he was made up a saw they didn't recognize him

that's how good that makeup is so I'm putting that for what stage is the best I also have for what stage is the best the 80s 90s trope where the father-in-law announces the engagement to the annoying boyfriend but the daughter doesn't know and then she gets mad at everybody and storms off I feel like that was a 15-year gimmick that I've always enjoyed I look forward to doing it to my daughter. I mean, it's going to do to a large party.

I'm going to announce her engagement to somebody that nobody likes. Yeah, and then you're going to have a real moment with yourself because I'm going to call you and be like, Bill. Bill? Can I just tell you how the world doesn't work anymore? And do you want your daughter marrying a man who would ask you first?

I'm so happy to announce my daughter's engagement to this fucking asshole. Wait, okay, so I feel like, I'm trying to feel like there's a movie that I'm missing that did it, they did any wedding crashers. No, they didn't do it. their wedding crashes. I just feel like they've done it

a bunch of times. I can't even name the movies. Did it in a big movie where the girl was super upset. I can't remember. It's going to come to me. I'm going to blurt it out. They did it in a big one.

But yeah, it was something that you see all the time. They wouldn't even, there'd be think pieces written on it if they did it in a film now. Any other? It's age the best. We've mentioned a lot of stuff already. Anything jumping out of you guys?

Age the best. I would say, I would say, I'd say every black woman in this movie. Vanessa, Bell Cowley. Oh, my God. Calaway looks the same age in 1988 as she does right now. Garcel Beauvais.

The same age. Right. Sherry Headley. I've seen her. Sherry Headley. The same. They all look fantastic. I mean,

like Eddie Murphy, I mean, everybody looks great still. Madsinclair, I think Matt Schenclare, we don't have her anymore. I think she's dead. But she would still look great if she would still look great.

I just, think that like just what's age the best, I just think the women in the movie. The women in the movie, they've just aged fantastically. I have one thing that's aged the best. By the way, another woman in the movie that you didn't mention is Jody Wattley's sisters in this movie.

Is she the sister? She plays one of the of the Rose Bears. And if you don't know the name of Jody Wattley's sisters, because for a number of years, she went by a different name. That name was Midori. and so that's Medori Right

Right She went by a different name Every there's Don't worry about the bills A lot of people out there Know what I'm talking about But um Hey wait a second

I love Jody Wiley How dare you Okay thank you No no no Not her but the sister No I know But I'm just like really I enjoy Johnny Wiley

She was very attractive Midori But I'll I'll say this You know it's age the best to me The Waldorf Astoria Like when I was a kid I heard about

the Waldorf Astoria from this. Then I heard about it. I think if a home alone, if I'm, if I'm, he was at home alone. And then it, it, that became the benchmark for an amazing hotel to me. They have one out here in Beverly Hills and I had to stay in it because I had never stayed in one before. So the

Waldorf story, like that age of the best of me. Those are still kicking still. New York movies. Yeah. Like, like, like things about like the Plaza and the Waldorf. I was going to say the Plaza was home alone completely transformed that when my daughter and I went back to New York when she was like four.

She demanded to stay in the plaza. Right. That's Kevin's hotel. We got to go there. Right. But also just like how the the queensness of Queens and like how in the 70s and 80s, you know, New York didn't always, New York looked like itself. They never

tried to dress it up and make it look like something. It wasn't. I mean, they just shot in New York and that's what New York. I mean, they didn't even plow the snow for the king's arrival. Yeah. There are taxis and, I mean, their limos just driving on slush. All right.

What's age the worst? 117 minutes. This movie, I would say maybe 105 would have been ideal. I think they could have done some cutting slicing, especially the first 20 minutes. I just want them to get to New York in this movie. Soon as they're in New York, I'm happy the entire time. We mentioned the 1988 impact of John Amos. That's aged the worst from a standpoint that I don't know.

I don't think people understand what a big deal that was that he was in this movie. 33 years later, it's hard to explain. It was, there were just certain TV dads like him, Robert Reed. There were these people that were in our life in a significant way. And when they popped up in a movie, it was a big deal. Both in Roots. Another age to worst. Darrell being excited and bragging about having four tickets to a St. John's game.

Right. Fair. It's age the worst. the fact that Arsenio Hall's character is named semi and I'm not being tortured in real life by a Celtic who's also named semi although he pronounces as shemmy shemiochile who's one of the reasons we're 13 and 13 right now as we tape this.

One more was, age the worst, poor Eric LaSalle. It's hard to explain what kind of damage this movie did for him. He could not break out of soul glow and when he was on a little show called ER as one of the doctors, it was like, oh shit, the Soulgo guy. And then he's great on that show. And then eventually that show became so big,

everybody, he became ER's Eric LaSalle. But I do feel like the SoulGlo thing was bad for his career. I think that happens sometimes. I got to be honest with you. I always looked at it the other way. Like when he popped up on ER, I was like, oh, he made good.

Yeah. I always kind of looked at it. That's the kind of way he became a huge deal. He was already a huge deal because there are a lot of other actors for the movie. I mean, a lot of people from this movie went on. We talked about it to have great careers. But there's some of them, we didn't get enough Sherry

Hadley after this. No. I mean, she worked consistently, but we didn't get enough of her. So I thought he actually made good. Eric LaSalle, by the way. Yeah. Outrageously handsome. Even under that Jerry Whig, it is like painful to look at him. He's so handsome.

It's just, I mean, it's funny because you understand, I just want to make this point. Like, Eddie Murphy, he's not moving any like the thing that made like allowed him to be a star in some ways is was was that he he was not the hottest or handsomest person he was he had all this other stuff to rely on

and none of it was necessarily how he looked and you see a person like Eric LaSalle and you're just like well Jesus Christ I mean why didn't they just cast him in more stuff because man this isn't Wesley's best handsome take. His best handsome take ever was when the OJ

movie came out. Bearded OJ was, Wesley said bearded OJ in Buffalo in like 1975 was the most handsome man who ever lived. I stand by it. OJ. Simpson was a handsome guy. I'll stand by it. I like it. That's my favorite handsome

take from OJ. From Wesley. Another would stage the worst, John Landis says, I-N-D-B since this movie. Here are the next five movies he makes. And I mentioned he was on an iconic run. Let me get my sling. Oscar with Slice Stallone.

Love that movie. Innocent Blood. Beverly Hills Cop 3. That movie's terrible. That's one of the worst. Awful. But like Beverly Hills Cop 3 literally was, that's a benchmark moment in my life. It's literally the first time in my life I walked out of a theater mat.

So what that come out, like 93, 94 or something like that. Like I was so excited. Like so excited. Like, oh my God, we back, baby. We back. We're going to, and I remember walking out. I remember getting in the car,

like got a car with my mom. I was like, she was like, Van House. I'm like, drive. You know what I'm saying? I was pissed off. It was so bad. Wait, can I ask you guys,

though, seriously? Were you, you didn't find that a little bit sad? What? The movie? No, the fact that he did a third one. That you didn't strike you as sad? I just wanted Eddie. I remember at the time.

I'm just thinking, I'm really, this. Because you know what's funny, Bill? He was on the cover, one, a premiere for that movie, I think. There was a big premiere story about the movie. It may not, you might have been on the cover. But I just found it, I just found it sad. But I thought he was about to be back on his bullshit. Yeah, because he had done it, boomerang, Distinguish Gentleman,

and then it was like, oh, cop three. Oh, here comes, he can't mess up Axel Foley. And they turned it into a Disney film almost. It was like, it's horrible. Yeah. Do you guys ever have movie Alzheimer's where you saw him? movie once and you thought it was terrible, but then you forgot that it was terrible? Because I remember Cop 3 came on a couple years ago on cable.

And I'm like, ah, I remember this being bad, but maybe I don't remember that correctly. I'm going to give it a chance. And then like 15 minutes in, you're like, oh, my God. How did they do this? I usually have the opposite where I watch things again and realize how excellent they are, like how much not, how not bad they are. Well, after Cop 3 Landis does the stupids, Blues Brothers 2000, and Susan's plan, and then it's over. I'm going to give you another what's age the worst.

This is the Coming to America theme song in the end of credits by the system. Oh, Bill, you can't do this. You can't do this. What is this? Why are you doing this? How was it? This is not right. Now, clearly, history is on your side.

How did they have a Coming to America theme song that wasn't the number one song in America for 15 weeks. Instead, it was this. So while I was getting dressed to come meet you guys today. I kind of do like it, but I'm just, I'm saying it's, it should have been a monster hit. Is a jam. The question I was going to ask you guys is about the soundtrack. Nile Rogers did the music. But why are there no, there's, I mean, that, I don't know why that song wasn't a hit.

It was played on BET a lot as a kid. I loved the system. You know why it wasn't it? Because it wasn't that good. Oh, Bill, bite your mouth. It just wasn't that good. I'm sorry. This is a pivotal error in music.

They could have had so many different directions to have this awesome 15 week. What I'm asking, though, it's a missed opportunity soundtrack-wise. There is no, it toes a, the only song we hear in its even remote entirety is the greatest love of all, sung by a Rick James knockoff cover band. Where's Janet Jackson? Where's Paul Abdul? Think of all the choreography. Dancers is Paul Abdul. Yeah, Paul Abdul got the dances together.

There's one guy there that was like a famous dancer, the shorter guy. I always forget his name, but he was like really famous. But, but that's kind of the only thing, though, about the movie. Like, that song was a, we used to kind of like jammed to the song. It was like not a, it wasn't a big hit. It was not a hit. It was not a hit. I love the system.

I love the system. The only thing that the movie was, every movie at that time had a ridiculous soundtrack. Every, any movie, I mean, not every every movie, but like, Eddie. But like there was like the pointer sisters for Yeah, it was like everybody had it but this one kind of didn't. But you know what I will tell you.

The pointer sisters is the most important pop culture song in history. I mean, don't get me started. But the neutron day? I'm so excited. Oh, I'm so excited. It's in the most great things ever, including the best NBA entertainment commercial

of all the time. It's a great song. Save by the bell. And don't ever get immune to it. It's a great song. But I do think that that's an interesting compromise with this movie. I wonder.

what the soundtrack conversation was because there had to have been one, right? Where, like, maybe Nile didn't want to do the music supervision, maybe, I don't know what happened. He was Michael Jackson's best friend. Like, they, like, Michael Jackson didn't anywhere on this.

It was just, it's a weird thing. Like, that was his boy. That was his guy. They used to run around L.A. together to the degree that you can run around L.A. with Michael Jackson. It's a miss. Casting what ifs.

William's was originally considered for the role of Lisa McDowell. Oh my God. Interesting point of her career. That could have been a good one. I mean, she was... It worked out. I mean, she had a monster 88 for given where it could have gone because her solo album, I mean, her solo album. Yeah. Her album, her first album came out that year. She was staggeringly beautiful in 1988. So that would have been almost unrealistic.

But, you know, when a complaint about, talk about things that have aged the worst, you can't really put this there because it's an eternal. problem in movies about black people, but the most desired woman in the movie is the lightest-skinned woman in the movie. Yeah. And you cast Vanessa Williams in that part, and it only gets...

It screams that. Right, exactly. So there's also that. Also, Sherry Headley sounds like she's from Queens. I don't know where she's actually from, but she sounds like she's from somewhere in New York City. I actually like the casting of her because there's a sweetness to her that I feel like,

I feel like I have to believe she's going to fall in love with this janitor. Right, right. And she pulls it off. You know what they didn't pull off? The person they originally tried to get for King Jaffe Jaffer. Oh, can I guess? Sure. I mean, the first person that comes in mind is Sidney Poitier. I was going to say it's your favorite actor of all time. Yes. He turned him down. And I think he didn't shoot to kill instead. Yeah. I'm not going to lie, man. As much as James Earl Jones is Jaffey Jaffer. Sidney Portier would have been phenomenal. It pushes the movie up a level.

James Earl Jones is as regal as they come. The only black actor in the history of black actors that is more regal than James Earl Jones is Sidney Portier. He screams it. It would have been fantastic. Paul Gleeson was asked to reprise his role as Clarence Beaks from trading places. in the Duke brothers scene,

but couldn't do it because he was filming diehard. They're just going to have beaks with Mortimer and Randolph. Oh, he would be like a bum with them. Oh, okay. Yeah, there you go. Best That Guy, A.K. The Joey Pants Award for the Best That Guy. I'm going to give you three candidates.

First of all is Madge Sinclair, Madgson-Clear, or is she technically that guy? I think she's Madge Sinclair, right? She's Madge Sinclair. But most people know her as the queen from this movie. But I'm going to say she's knowledgeable. fair, but, you know, many, many Emmy nominations. So our runner-up is going to be Paul Bates,

who's the first guy you see in this movie, the guy who sings when they introduced the queen. Oh, that's good. That guy. He's Paul Bates. I didn't know what his real name was until I did the research for this movie. What else has he been in? So apparently he was in true romance, according to his IMDB, but I couldn't find who he was. I'm guessing he was in the Gary Oldman drug scenes. but our winner is Patrice, the sister, played by Allison Dean. And she's great in this movie.

If you're just coming out of this movie, I was expecting this long, giant career from her. It's like she's doing a lot of stuff. Hold that thought because we're going to keep talking about her a second. Vincent Hanna, give me all you got a word for overacting. I didn't really feel like there was an overacting scene in this movie, unless you guys disappear. I mean, it's Eddie's characters, right?

It's not a bad thing, but. He's out of fine. Dionne Waiter's Award winner, Louis Anderson. Oh, it's Frankie Faison. As the slum lord. Oh, my God. Good call. Yeah, you're right.

Frankie Faison. You guys are like it. It's all fucked up. So we'll give him the Vincent Hanna Award. He's also a nominee for Dion Waders, along with Louis Anderson, and Sam Jackson, who's just in this rut of playing guys who either have a drug issue or just robbing places for five years here. But I got to say Patrice McDonough, put Baiaus and Dean.

Just a great Deanne Wader's performance. Somebody's messing around. I am not. I don't care how much a man admires you. He's not going to give you earrings like that unless you're giving him a little boutet. Not everybody thinks like you, Patrice. Yes, they do.

They just don't admit it. Super likable, hot. Kind of pushing the envelope a little bit sexually in a way that I wasn't really used to in the late 80s? But being, being assertive. But owning it, she owns it. She owns it.

When I got what she wanted. Yeah. She, you know, she's that, I like that. She was great. But that was a big thing in R&B at that point, too, right? All women, all female R&B singers were about that. Like, you got a, you know, ain't nothing going on but the rent. You know, what have you done for me lately?

I mean, like, she had the 80s attitude on lock. She was very, you know, attitudeally fashionable for 88. Great job, I have to mention an actor that's not going to fit any of the categories, but my grandmother is very, very, shout out to my momo back in Louisiana.

A guy, there's a guy in this that was one of the most handsome black actors of the entire 70s. Everyone loved him. Calvin Lockhart. Oh, yeah. He's got that one tiny,

he's got a shot. One tiny thing. There was a picture of my grandmother. and Calvin Lockhart from like 75 or 76 where they're hugged up together that was that spurred a lot of stories. I think there was an issue in her life.

It's one of those moments, I call it a lookaway moment that grandmother's half to when you ask her about Calvin Lockhart and she goes like this. Yeah. We had a lot of good times and you start thinking,

yo, my grandmother is remembering fucking having sex with a man right now. You're like, you saw, that happens in your brain. So it's like, there was a thing. So I have to mention that Calvin Lockhart also is in this movie. Special

Spinoff Award, just for this movie of the Dian Waders Award. For the D.N. Awards, best special character played by Eddie or Arsenio. What was your favorite character of all the guys they played? I think Arsini...

Have to pick one. Arsenio in the barbershop. Just pick one. though, between Eddie and Randy Watson, but it's Eddie in the barbershop. I have Eddie in the barbershop, too. I love that. And we'll get to more barbershop stuff in a second. Another award that's a new award, it's conditional, but Bill Lawrence brought this up in the

out-of-site podcast where he talked about certain guys have certain famous people, kind of bring people along, and they pop up in different movies. Noel Bomback loves to throw Eric Stoltz in his movies, et cetera, et cetera, et I'm going to call this the Clint Smith Award. Oh, I like that. The winner is Clint Smith for this movie because Clint Smith is in 48 hours. He's in the jail cell with Eddie. He's in training places.

He's on Saturday Live a bunch of times with him. And then he's in this movie as the third barbershop guy. And Rick Baker's putting on makeup on Clint Smith for like three hours, probably wondering, like, why the fuck are we, why don't we just hire an old guy for this part? Why is Clint Smith? But that's why he's the winner of the Clint Smith Award. who's Eddie's buddy. Yep. It could either be the Clint Smith Award or it could be the Clint Howard Award.

So it could be just the... Oh, that's even better. Shit, you're right, man. It could be the Clint Award. The Clint Howard Award is better because he's more... Yeah, the Clint Award. It's just the Clint Award. That's great.

The Clint Award. Recast and Couch. I really like how this movie is cast. Just going to raise the point. Just don't freak out. Could we have done better than Sherry Headley? I'm going to give you two names. Okay.

One of my queens, Robin Givens. You love her. Angela Bassett. Okay. It's too early. Angela Bassett, I looked it up. She's 28 when this movie's being filmed. Yeah, but what she, I mean, would a casting agent know to, I mean, what a white casting agent in 1988 or in 87 when it was filmed, would that person know where to find Angela Bassett?

I don't know. I looked it up. She'd done a lot of IMDBTV. stuff. She'd been in a lot of different things. I'm saying we can recast this now. I can put 1988 Robin Givens or 1988, Angela Bassett in that role is a better movie.

I don't know. I don't necessarily think so. This is what I'll tell you about the Robin Givens thing. This is why I won't take Robin Givens. Here's the reason why. You ruined the boomerang performance. I can't see the great car. We have that great roomerang performance. We have to leave that alone. We need her for boomerang.

Got to save her for boomerang. I buy Sherry Headley in this. I do. I agree with you. I just want to have the conversation. Halfast Internet research. The McDowell's was actually a Wendy's on Queens Boulevard that was about to be closed.

I wondered. I wondered, did they build a Wendy? Did they build a restaurant? They just blew out of Wendy's and redid it. Cool. Murphy, 8 million bucks for the movie. 15% of the film rentals. Jesus.

His lavish weekly expenditures during production included $3,800. a week for his custom motorhome, $1,500 a week for his personal trainer, $650 a week for his valet, and $5,000 a week for a weekly living allowance. Because this was the 80s. This is when you got shit done like this. Landis received $600,000 and 10% of the gross receipts.

Wow. Speaking of Landis, there's a crazy Eddie Murphy, John Landis feud from this movie that I had either forgotten about or didn't know about. They did not get along. Landis said afterwards, quote, The guy on trading places was young and full of energy and curious and funny and fresh and great.

The guy on coming to America was the pig of the world. The most unpleasant, arrogant, bullshit entourage, just an asshole. But I still think he's wonderful in this movie. That was John Landis. Here's Eddie's response. We had a tussling confrontation. We didn't come to blows.

Personality didn't mesh. He directed me in trading places when I was just starting it as a kid. He was still treating me like a kid five years later. And I hired him to direct the movie. I was going to direct coming to America myself, but I knew Landis had just done three fucked up pictures in a row. And his career was hanging by a threat after the Twilight's own trial. I was going out of my way to help this guy and he fucked me over. Now he's got a hit picture on his resume, a movie that made over $200 million,

as opposed to him coming off a couple of fucked up movies, which is where I'd rather see him be right now. Guess what? Eddie Murphy, I don't know. I'm sure Eddie Murphy was demanding the star treatment, but in his appraisal of John Landis's career at that point, he couldn't be more right. No. It's difficult for him to be. I don't know if anyone has said it. The Twilight Zone thing is one of the more fucked up things that have ever happened in the history of a movie. And it would have, you had to have had a friend bring you back from something like that. And really, I'll be honest with you. I had to remind myself that John Landis directed to

movie because there's one shot in the in the in the scene where where everybody's dancing where the camera swoops in and last night I go wow what a shot yeah who directed this and so then I look it up and I go oh because in my brain John Landis was over after that happened so I can you remind everybody what the twilight zone thing is so what happened on the Jennifer Jason Lee's dad yeah Vic morrow jennifer jennifer jason Lee's dad is in the twilight zone he actually passed away during the filming of the movie, rest in peace, because there was a scene where there was a helicopter,

there was a scene that was supposed to be said in Vietnam where a helicopter was supposed to land or something like that. And it, don't want to say this, the helicopter blades decapitated Vig Morrow. And a couple kid actors, too. And a couple kid actors. The helicopter crashed with the blades

going into the water and just chopped them up. Choped them up. And the thing was that people, some people blame John Landis for this because they said, that he kept demanding that the helicopter get lower and lower and lower and maneuver in a different way for the shots. So there's a whole trial. There's a whole deal.

Vic Moro still shows up in the movie, but he passed away filming it. So, yeah. Well, and then it led to a whole reckoning of how they used child actors and movies that... Right. That led to basically every rule they have from that point on. Postcript to this,

guess who directed Beverly Hills Cop 3? John Landis. John Landis, yeah. They got back to... I was going to say. I was going to say. Yeah, he came back, yeah. So Eddie gives this 1999 Playboy magazine interview

where he crushes John Landis. It's online. You can find it. Somebody tweeted all the screenshots. I ordered it on eBay, but it didn't show up in time. But he has just paragraph after paragraph murdering John Linus. New York's son had a writer name Armand White. Oh, Armin.

Amon. Yeah. The famous, the legendary Armand White. Yeah. The killer of films. Oh, the contrarian film murderer, yes. Described that as a bomb thrower in some circles. That's what he does.

He just light up different things. So he wrote about coming to America, quote, a betrayal of every instance of politics, history, sex, and ethnic culture, black people have ever known. There's ethnic self-loathing and humiliation. Murphy's consciousness is the kind that is completely detached from political action. Blah, blah, blah, bye, he just crushes it. It was so over the top and such a big deal in the black community.

Murphy responded with a paid advertisement in the sun. And he wrote, quote, the lack of charity and the part of this black man for another black man's life and work to be puzzling superficial, uniquely vicious and deserving a public response. Can I say something about Armond and Eddie Murphy after that?

Yeah. He then, I mean, Armand basically decided to go down with the ship when Eddie was in the, was in the toilet. like so every you know I mean I believe Armand meant that review

um I but you know he loved he also likes Pluto Nash he like Armand White killed Moonlight like he like he

he's just he's that guy that's his that's am I wrong about that Wesley no no no you're right but I'm saying with respect to Eddie Murphy I mean I don't know if that if that ad got to him but like I mean then he'd be

became the person who was finding all this value in these, in like the worst Eddie Murphy movies. Yeah. So I don't know. I mean, Armine's a real, a real crap shoot. There's another lawsuit from this movie. It was Art Buckwild. Oh, the Art Buckwold suit.

That was a whole rabbit hole. Don't go down this rabbit hole. Don't do it. I don't know this. This was like, somebody explains to me real quick. The front page entertainment news for like years. A month, years. So he wrote a 19.

1982 script treatment about a rich, basically the plot of this movie who goes to America for a state visit. Paramount optioned it. John Landis attached his director, Eddie Murphy, attached as the lead, two years of development Hill. They abandoned the project March 1985. In 87, Paramount begins working on a coming to America based on a story about Eddie Murphy, and it's basically the same story. Buckwold won the breach of contract action. Court orders damages.

They appeal as they're appealing. they pay him off. How much did you get? Terms not disclosed. But this was a major, major, major, major Hollywood story for years. I know we got a move on bill. Give me a round number of what you think he probably got.

Late 80s, probably $5 million. Five, I was about say $5, $10 million. Yeah. There was a TV pilot made of a weekly sitcom version of this for CBS. Thank God. Playing the Prince. Tommy Davidson. Ira.

Yeah. Didn't get picked up. Paul Bates was available to be the Paul Bates guy. I feel like people know this, but just in case, Zamunda was taken from a Richard Pryor routine. That's why they called it, Sumunda. They have the king say, no, do not alert him to my presence. I shall deal with him myself.

What is that an homage of, Van? Oh, Star Wars? Yeah, Return of the Jedi. Return of the Jedi, yeah. Darth Vader says, no, leave them to me. I will deal with them myself. I'll deal with them myself, yeah. Apex Mountain.

Eddie Murphy, I'm going to say no. No. No, no, no, no. Arsenio Hall, I'm going to say yes. He's got this movie and he's about to get that Joan Rivers show. And I just don't feel like he was bigger, more important, or better than he was in the tail end of idiot. Wait, minute, you think, but are we kind of the Arsenio Hall show? Because that's his Apex Mountain, right?

He's on pace to have that anyway. He's about to get that. He's coming off this movie. He's hosting that show anyway. Fox. It's just not called the Arsino Hall show yet. But it's all the stuff he's doing on that show is happening already in the end of 88. I would say, okay, but you can only have one apex, right? You don't get- So you would say 89 for Arsenio?

I would say that some of those things he did on that show were like exhibits of like a person who's at, at apex. It's not the getting of the show. I go 89. It's, yeah, I mean, yeah. What is James Earl Jones's apex map? It's a great question. Because by the way, he has this movie in 88, and then he's got Field of Dreams a year later. Moonlight, like Rob! And then, uh, Huntford, October, I mean...

Because you could argue this is later career James Earl Jones, Apex. But I still feel like... You know what I think is Apex is. It's got to be in the 70s, right? I think James Earl Jones's Apex is... Sandlot? No, Jesus. That's a good one, though.

That's a good one. I think his apex is the voice of Darth Vader. I really do. I think it's a peculiar apex, but I think that's kind of, that's, that's, that's what it is. I think that is, Wally higher and higher. I can't, I mean, it's funny because I was thinking before I got to you guys today, like, how do I, how would I in 1988 have known who James Earl Jones was? And the truth is, I did not know at that age that he was Darth Vader.

I didn't know either. He was the yellow pages guy. I don't think I knew either. Yeah. He was the what? He was the yellow pages guy. He used to do these. Bill,

do you remember these, these Yellow Pages ads? Yeah. He used to do the yellow, the phone book. He used to do commercials, his voice for the phone book. But he was just a present.

He might be apexless. Yeah. He was just in our lives forever. He was just a rolling plane. And he never really had a role that gave him any power, right? Like, I don't know what James O' Jones sort of power matrix is, right? I don't, I don't know what that looks like.

He's just... Well, his belated apex is Sandlot because that's a movie every... Most people... Every kid sees and watches five, six times if they love sports. He's been in different... He has different... Yeah, because, like, on stage, it's fences. You know what I mean?

So it's like, he has different... Yeah, it's just... Yeah. What... He got... I mean, TV, he had a, you know, we had a bunch of great... very good television shows in the 80s. You know, a movie career that never, never waned.

He always worked. And he worked interestingly. Some would say best of the best is his apex. Some would say best of the best. I'll be honest, it sounds crazy, but. That movie's amazing. Tommy, we gotta do it. Like, like Eric Roberts.

Man, if this is an audition to be on the best of the best rewatched this podcast, it worked. I'll quit. I'll quit if I'm not on it. Seriously. Tommy, come on. Eric Lovertsman. Sherry Headley and the other sister, definitely Apex for both.

St. John's, no, because I still think it was 1985 St. John's. Hey, Chris Mullen, Walter Berry, and Mark Jackson all in the same team. Shot off Felipe Lopez. Clint Smith. Sure.

Yes. To get Rick Baker makeup on him on C.S. How about Hot Tubbs? Apex for Hot Tubbs? Has any movie ever made you want to get a hot tub more than the Coming to America Hot Tub? When they put that in there, it's like, man, that hot tub looks like.

amazing. We can do better than that, right? Like, isn't it Julia Roberts? Is that a hot tub? Does that count? Well, you could say Eddie Murphy is James Brown and S&O. And I was going to say, like, he did the hot tub. That might be, might be the hot tub. How about Jerry Curles?

Was this the apex of Jerry Crows? Late 1988, Soul Glow. It's the Nadir of Jerry Crows. It's the Nadir and the apex. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. In film, in film for sure. in film for sure.

Queens, New York, Apex? It's a prominent character in this movie. It doesn't get treated that well, though, right? It's not like a love letter. There's so many Sundance movies set in Queens that love Queens. Classy New York hotels,

I'm going to say Home Alone. It's still the Apex for that. Let's do this. Barbershop Conversations because this gimmick got ripped off over and over again for the next 33 years. The only reason why I would say that it's not

is because there was a whole movie that was a big hit movie about the barbershop. I think the movie Barbershop, with respect, is probably the apex for barbershops. Now, I say that. I mean, this movie was the second biggest movie of 1988. Well, I'll say that just because of cultural allegiance. Because the Barbershop scenes in this movie

are way bigger than the... the entire movie barbershop. But still, so, so I don't know. What do you think, Wesley? It's nice time. It's cute. Huh. That's a good question.

Well, we should be specific, though, black barbershops. Sure. Because that same year, there is another great barbershop sequence, except it's in Mississippi burning. Oh, Jesus. Wesley. Man. They're on the out there.

Yeah, there is. Right. But yeah, I think, you know, barbershop as a franchise is about actual barbershops. And I think that, yeah, I mean, it's true. It's got to be barbershop. It's got to be barbershop.

Picking Nitz. Would the King of Zamunda have really sent his son to New York City without bodyguards? I mean, honestly. There's not two guys that go with them that are just making sure everything goes cool that just kind of hang out outside the place? That would have been a great,

I mean, there's so many things left on the table in this movie screenplay-wise. That would have been a great wrinkle to have two bodyguards go with them. Right. And then have to outsmart them and all of that. Where did they keep getting cash? How much money did Sammy have on him?

Did he have like $200,000 in cash? You just repeatedly has these money clips. I love those. They stole all their suitcases. I love that's a psych ag, yeah. How much money did it have? Where did he keep it? Did he have it just like in his body?

Was there a, was this before? the bank card. It's before the bank card, huh? Maybe. Maybe there's bank scenes. Yeah, maybe they're going to banks and cashing and stuff. McDonald's, wouldn't they have just sued McDonald's and knocked that guy out of business in five seconds? Just feel like that's over quickly. They were suing. The guy was taking pictures to build a case

for a lawsuit. It's up for two seconds in McDonald's that closes that place down. Let's be honest. That's not a long trial. That's McDonald's being like, you guys are going away. That's it. Any other nitpick for you guys. I think...

Not for me. There is something that's sort of nagging at me, and it's something that that is both implicit in Roger Ebert's complaint or disappointment,

and explicit in Armand White's assassination. And there is a kind of... There is something about... This is not a knit. This is like, this might be this might be the whole

sweater that I'm unraveling a little bit. But there is something, as good as it made me feel to see these black people get together, there is something also with respect to class and cast within black life that is sort of unexamined. I don't know how, I mean, I don't know how a movie would address this, but I definitely think if you've got two different screenwriters who were, who are, you know, familiar with black people as human beings and not as, like, Eddie Murphy sketches. I think that you, I think there is a conversation that probably happens with some people somewhere in this movie about, because the movie knows it. Like, Eric LaSalle is made, they call him, you know, the barbershop call, the barbershop guys

call Akeem Kutte Kutte. They, you know, Eric LaSalle is kind of like, a little bit, I mean, I don't know what the word is. Like, like racist, xenophobic. He's xenophobic. He's xenophobic.

Toward Kareem. Toward Akim. Um, there is a, there's an undercurrent of, it's not self-loathing. Armand's, I don't agree with Armin about that.

But there is a kind of tension, like right beneath the surface of this movie about, with respect to taste and class and, and cast position. within, you know, United States blackness that is... Unexplored, you feel like.

Un explored, and therefore, it just, it just kind of sits with me in a way that makes me wonder, that, you know, makes me feel like it kind of is glossing over a problem that it creates for itself by, by not really addressing these things. Like, the house that Frankie Faison manages that they move into, right?

Like, it uses, poverty as a joke and as a psych guy who tumbles down the steps and Frankie Fiazahn says to him pay your rent. I know you're trying to get out of paying your rent. It's not going to work this time. Like things like that. I don't know.

All of the jokes are sort of aimed at the poor people. And there are no real jokes aimed at anybody in a higher class position. Can I, can I, okay, can we say here one second bill? It's like so That's true

Don't you think that that's a That that's Sort of a symptom of Obviously you can use this for any movie that takes place in the past It's a symptom of the times And almost that In that time The jokes about being poor

The movies were made To a degree for the poor people So you kind of got those You almost felt like you were in on the joke the jokes about the jokes that that there are jokes on the rich in the movie like for example it's funny that he doesn't know how to use a mob

right yes that he's never that he's never used a mop it doesn't I think I think on both sides the humor doesn't it doesn't no one's cast as the villain of the movie because the one thing that's most unsavory about the film is that the father is a

social climber and even though they're already rich the father being a social climber as seen, that's the most directly negative trait in the film. Most of Akeem's negative traits are by accident. And most of the people that are, that are poor. Most of their negative traits are also, in the movie, almost by accident. But the one person that is skeeving and conniving is the dad and that or the two fathers.

The one that's even in conniving or the other one who actively looks down on people that he feels like are less than him. Those guys are kind of both the villains of the film. Well, Eric LaSalle's character is the actual, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, true. Yeah, for sure. He's the official bad guy in the movie. And, you know, but I don't know.

Once again, and he's rich. Right. He's rich and he's, you know, got the Jerry Curl. Right. But, I mean, I do think there is something, there is a kind of, there's a middle class sort of striking of a balance. Like Black Awareness Week, you look at the people in those crowds,

you know, in that crowd, in that community center, and you're just like, you want a scene or something with those people. Okay. That's what you mean. Or,

you know, some, there's a, there's a scene. I know we all, I don't agree that it's too long. I'm kind of, I'm like whatever about that.

But it needs another scene. And it's, and it's not quite the same as the ironing out of the plot in the sunken living room. Um, but there is, like a dinner scene or, you know, like a repast scene after the, during Black Awareness Week or something

where you get a sense of the community that, that Lisa and, and Cleo are a part of in some way. I don't know. There's something, because otherwise you do have this, this class discrepancy that it's a little unsavory to me. Kind of vap it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Next category. Sorry, Bill. No, I'm just moving on. I'm keeping the ball roll. We're at the one hour, 40 minute mark. Could this be remade as a 10-episode Netflix show? Please, no. But I do think if they had done the sequel,

there was a path where they could have made that as a... Bill, they did do the sequel. No, I'm saying, instead of making it as a movie, they could have tried to do that as a whole season. I wouldn't recommend it, but it's conceivable. What is the sequel about, by the way? I don't know anything about it. them 30 years later.

He goes back to New York. He finds out he has an illegitimate son. Right. And brings that son back to Africa. Who did he sleep? This is going to be like, you got to go watch the movie to find out who he slept in. I think.

Yeah. It's the sister. Could be. Probably in answerable questions. I still don't understand why they wouldn't have stayed at the Waldorf and then gotten a second apartment. Could have had both worlds. I just didn't agree with the plan for McKim.

the hand job did she go inside the jeans or was it on top of the jeans? Because when Eddie stands up, he's wearing those 80s jeans that are really hard to maneuver. They're almost like race car pants. Right.

So what was her strategy for the hand job? Not to get too graphic, but I just think that's a tough situation. He's sitting up tight. He's wearing jeans. It's called a slidey. She's going lefty. I don't think...

We used to call them slideys. So probably over the jeans. And high school, yeah. Bill. But when you were going on a, on a field trip to like Astro World or something like that, you'd get a slidey so you wear wind pants. You know what I mean? The whole thing.

Yeah, he wasn't anticipating that, though. He was. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I've, yeah, yes. Yes. It's very far-fetched.

Outside. Very far-fetched. Why didn't Arsenio Hall do more movies? This is my next unanswerable question. Wait. Can I go back to your slidey for a second, one second? Yes. I knew you would enjoy this question.

Akeem is probably a virgin. It probably would not have taken much. She said to touch it. Right. He's probably a virgin. Those jeans though, I may or may not have experience wearing those jeans. They're like, they're honestly like race car driver pants. Yeah, but what is your point with the punch those things?

You couldn't have an orgasm in them? I just think those things are so firm. You're not even, you're barely getting contact. You'd have to like really jostle around, open his leg. up. I can speak from experience on both ends of this of this problem. It is, the

tightness of the pants is really immaterial. I wish fantasy was here because he'd be horrified right now. Why didn't Arsenio Hall do more movies? I have no clue. He's great. He's great in this movie, right? I don't understand it. Where was he? Where was he for

seven movies? I think Chunky A killed him dead. I think that that was just an example of I don't know how many executives saw him do his chunky A skits on the show on the O'Shenio Hall show but I feel like I think

that character I also think people just saw him as a talk show host at some point and Eddie Murphy's buddy like he was he had a lot of pigeon holes that he couldn't climb out of he was fantastic even the characters that he was doing. Yeah like legitimately talented yeah like he's him as the preacher

it's Pip and Jordan stuff going on in this movie this is literally unanswerable did Hakeem Elyjuon change his name from Akeem because of this movie because he changes it about two and a half years later for no reason at all he's he's been in the NBA for seven years he's like hey by the way I'm going to add this H and it's been wrong the whole time it's like really has it because in 88 it was the Prince Akeem versus Akeem Olajuwon

it definitely there was like there was some sort of connection so I always wondered if he change it because of that. If I ever have my podcast, I'm asking him. Boy, this is an unanswerable question that is actually answerable. Who was playing in that St. John's game and who won? That's a great question. Fortunately, we have this thing called the Internet. I did some research.

Final score, St. John's 66th, Marist, 59. You know how I knew it was Marist? You can see Rick Smith's. For a split second on a post-up, our guy, Rick Smith, the Duncan Dutchman. The Duncan Dutchman. Rick Smith's got in a foul trouble in this game, and Marist ends up losing by seven, and there's a New York Times piece about it,

and Rick Smith is complaining about the fouls. So there you go. That's who won that game. A quietly very, very good in an NBA career. This is the last probably in answerable question, and it is unanswerable. Did Wakanda rip off Zamunda? Black Panther was written in the 60s.

Did Zamanda rip off Wakanda? Black Panther made his, Black Panther made his, he made his, his debut, I'm going to say in 1966, 66, 67, 68, something like that. Like, yeah. So did Zamanda rip off Wakanda? To realize the kingdom in the flesh, though, is not, is not nothing, right? Like, I mean, you still have to visualize it. I have a thing, I have a thing.

Graffiti trains. Did they paint that train to, like, like, what? I'll ask about that. I'll ask Calica about that. I'm like, yo, I've been to New York a couple of times. I mean, they were bad. I never saw that much graffiti on a plane. They were bad.

On a train. But I haven't been to New York that much. So like, I asked about that. But that train was really full of graffiti. I mean, it was an E train in all likelihood. And I mean, I did they hire some kids to paint the train? I just wonder. That should have been an Apex Mountain graffiti trains.

Oh, no. You can do way better than that. What piece of memorabilia would you want from this movie? I am going with the McDowell's Cheeseburger phone that John Amos makes the call for. I would buy that on eBay right now. It's tremendous. I like that there's cheese on it. It's so good.

I want the gold, I want the gold hair dryer. I've always wanted you. The gold hair dryer? Check it out. You're like, look at this. Yeah, that guy's entire suitcase with all the toothbrushes. It's hilarious. Yeah.

Eric LaSalle's sunglasses. The little soulgo Resil-goe Resil-O-O-Rezio-O-Rez-U-I-E-I-W-A-Mes, I want a Keams, whatever this, whatever that necklaces is, like with the red threads of between each of the blocks. That thing is very handsome. Who won the movie? Eddie.

Eddie Murphy. Eddie. Let's not overthink this one. Yeah, it's not doing it. Best supporting actor, though, for Arsenio Hall. He's really good. I was trying to think what other actor from that generation could have been his sidekick for that movie and had all the comic timing and been able to do all the different, that could have been funny like that. Good question.

Nobody. I mean, Mario Joyner, but were they friends? Were Mario and Eddie friends? Like, maybe Kenan Wayans, but I don't feel like he would have been as good as Arsenio Ha. No, no, it wouldn't have been the same. Townsend maybe. Plus, those guys are too good looking. Those guys are too good looking.

Oh, Keenan is just perfect. Yeah, like those guys, like those guys are too good looking. Keenan would have upstaged. I mean, everything about Keenan Ivorye is was a little. Yeah, the whole family's too handsome to be in that to do that. I mean, you could have gone outside comedy and had like a Denzel. Too much. Because at that point of Denzel's career, he would have taken a job like that.

I mean, I do think there's a role for Denzel in this movie that just didn't, it just didn't happen. But, oh, Wesley Stap, Wesley Stapes is interesting, but it's too early. He doesn't hit for like two early years. I got an interesting one. Sinbad. Ooh. That could have been as good as our city over. He wouldn't have been as good as Sinbad.

Sinbad. Sinbad's very funny. You do have a problem. What's the problem? Sinbad is red bone. how does, where do Red Bowles figure into into Zimundia? Yeah, yeah.

Then you have a, you have a, you have a complexion issue. Right. David Allen Greer was the other one I was thinking. Oh, another good one. Another good one. Yeah. Yeah.

I think he could have done it. I don't think he was David Allen Greer yet, though. I still feel like he was like probably two years away. He was around, though. He was in things. He was around. He would see him in things. Yeah.

Yeah. So, there you go. All right. Coming to America. This was a blast. Uh, the sequel's coming. out next month. We'll see how it goes. Wesley,

awesome to see you, as always. Van, a pleasure, as always. We'll be back next week on another rewatchables. Great to see you guys. We'll be back on the rewatchables next Monday. Here's the film. Neighbors! Was this the last truly funny

comedy ever? We're going to discuss that and a lot more. It's coming Monday. You have five days to watch it. Enjoy the rest of the week.