Coming To America

Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy), the prince and heir to the throne of the fictitious African country Zamunda, is discontented with being pampered all his life. The final straw comes when his parents, King Jaffe (James Earl Jones) and Queen Aeoleon (Madge Sinclair), present him with a bride-to-be (Vanessa Bell) he has never met before, trained to mindlessly obey his every command.

Akeem concocts a plan to travel to America to find a wife he can both love and respect and who accepts him for his personality, not his status. He and his servant, Semi (Arsenio Hall) arrive in Queens County, New York because according to Akeem "What better place to find a queen than the city of Queens?" After several scrapes, they find an apartment in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights. They begin working at a local restaurant called McDowell's (the restaurateur's attempt to copy McDonald's), passing themselves off as students.

Akeem falls in love with McDowell's daughter Lisa (Shari Headley), who possesses the qualities the prince is looking for. The rest of the film centers on Akeem's attempts to win Lisa's hand in marriage, while adjusting to life in America and dodging his royal duties and prerogatives. Unfortunately, Semi is not comfortable with the life of a poor man and thus unintentionally causes a near-disaster when, alerted by a plea for more financial help, the Zamundian royal couple travels to the United States and reveal themselves to the McDowells. Lisa, who has fallen for Akeem, becomes angry and confused as to why he lied to her about his identity. She refuses to marry Akeem and he returns to Zamunda with a broken heart. At the final scene's wedding ceremony, Akeem is nervous about his bride coming down the aisle. He discovers Lisa after lifting the veil. They ride off in a carriage after the ceremony.