'Coming 2 America' Date Rape Scene Infuriates and Disappoints Viewers

Coming 2 America, the sequel to the 1988 comedy classic starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall, [...]

By Alyssa Fikse

Coming 2 America, the sequel to the 1988 comedy classic starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall, has finally hit Amazon Prime for subscribers to enjoy. Although it's been 33 years since the original film, Murphy and Hall are still at the top of their game, playing off each other as easily as ever and playing several characters over the course of the film. Several of the actors from the first film have returned, including James Earl Jones, John Amos, Shari Headley, Paul Bates, and Vanessa Bell Calloway, while also filling out the cast with some new talent like Kiki Layne, Leslie Jones, Jermaine Fowler, Wesley Snipes, Tracey Morgan, and Teyona Taylor.

A New Personal Quest

In the sequel film, Murphy's Prince Akeem is dealing with issues of succession. He and his wife, Lisa, have had three daughters, and the outdated laws of Zamunda require a male heir to take over the throne. However, Akeem's father, King Jaffe, tells him on his deathbed that he has a secret son, Lavelle (Fowler). This sends Akeem and Semmi back to America to find his potential heir.

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An Outdated Joke

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(Photo: Amazon Studios)

However, it is revealed that the reason Akeem had no idea that he had a son was that his mother Mary, played by Leslie Jones, drugged the prince and date-raped him on his first trip to America. Despite the fact that this is a horrifying assault, the incident is played off as a joke by the characters in the film.

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Discussion Online

Lots of viewers took to Twitter to discuss this outdated look at assault, pointing out that it marred an otherwise fun film. "Coming 2 America was good. I only wish that date rape wasn't normalized in that space," wrote one person. "Why. Just why," wrote another. "Coming to America was just such a fun movie. Nothing nasty or gross about it. Now the premise is date rape? I just can't. No wonder my parents monitored what I watched while I was growing up."

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Perpetuating Rape Culture

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(Photo: Amazon Studios)

Some were upset that such a regressive trope was used in a follow-up to a classic Black film. "Coming to America was one of the few major Black films that I watched with my family growing up. This sequel, we could have been really okay without. The film lacked creativity and perpetuated rape culture," wrote one person on Twitter. "Having Leslie Jones play that particular role is very problematic but not surprising."

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Trivializing Sexual Assault

Ultimately, the offensive approach to sexual assault proved to be a dealbreaker for many. "sooooooo... something i cannot get over rn ... date rape is major a plot point of Coming 2 America," tweeted one viewer. "I didn't enjoy Coming 2 America. They made a date rape seem like something fun and harmless," another pointed out. "Overall, Coming 2 America was super fun and nostalgic," admitted another. "But honestly, it's 2021... we can do without joking about rape. Really out a tinge of yuck over the whole film."

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