Available on Prime Video and broadcast this Sunday, November 25 on TF1, A Prince in New York 2 marked the return of Eddie Murphy in one of his cult roles. We (re)make the presentations and tell you everything about this sequel.
In 1988, Eddie Murphy mania swept the world. Revealed by his role in 48 hoursalongside Nick Nolte, the stand-up comedian brings a breath of fresh air to Hollywood with his chat and energy. Its popularity explodes with the two parts of the Flic de Beverly Hills where he invented the cult character of Axel Foley. When A prince in New York was therefore released in the summer of 1988, it is not surprising to note that Eddie Murphy once again monopolizes the top of the box office (nearly 2 million admissions in France and nearly 300 million dollars in revenue in the world). He plays the African prince of Zamunda, Akeem, who has just turned 21. His parents have chosen a wife for him but the young man intends to find himself the woman of his life, intelligent and independent. Along with his cousin Semmi, he goes to New York and poses as a penniless student. It's the start of a hilarious and tender epic that will guide him to a certain Lisa…
Eddie Murphy plays several characters
In A prince in New Yorkfor the first time in his career, Eddie Murphy plays several different characters in addition to the main role: soul singer Randy Watson, Saul (the Jewish barbershop customer) and finally Clarence, the barbershop owner. This will then become a trademark of the actor which he will reiterate in particular in Professor Foldingue and its sequel, The Foldingue family. For the second part ofA prince in New Yorkfans will have the pleasure of finding Saul and Clarence in a very funny scene. This sequel was discussed for several years before coming to fruition in 2019 after the excellent collaboration between Eddie Murphy and director Craig Brewer on Dolemite Is My Name. The duo therefore came back together to offer the public this sequel, originally planned for a theatrical release but which was ultimately sold by Paramount to Prime Video. We of course find Eddie Murphy but also Arsenio Hall in the role of Semmi, Shari Headley in that of Lisa and even John Amos in that of Cleo.
Wesley Snipes has a blast playing General Izzi
But the interest of this sequel also lies in the introduction of new characters like that of General Izzi, played by Wesley Snipes in great form. He is looking for a young man to marry his daughter and would welcome an alliance with the family of Akeem, who has become king of Zamunda. While he thought he only had daughters, Akeem discovers that he has a hidden son, conceived during a New York party in his youth. He will therefore seek out the one who will become the heir to the throne upon his death, in order to marry him to the daughter of General Izzi. But everything is not going to go as planned… Played by Jermaine Fowler, who we saw in particular in the film Sorry to bother youthe young New Yorker will therefore experience the same cultural shock as his father, thirty years later, by discovering Africa. The opportunity for the film to evoke the themes of emancipation and the richness of difference. For those nostalgic for Eddie Murphy from the 80s, there is a flashback sequence where his character has been digitally rejuvenated (like Robert de Niro in The Irishman). Bluffing!
France
