Eddie Murphy plays Akeem Joffer, the crown prince of the fictional African nation of Zamunda. This 1988 film is a fun comedy. It was directed by John Landis and released by Paramount Pictures. Some co-stars are: Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, and John Amos.

Murphy's character is spoiled by the riches of his family, and therefore he does not know anything about the "real world" outside of Zamunda. Murphy's character has every need/wish granted at every moment, therefore producing a feeling that there is a lack of "substance" in his life. This idea is further seen when Murphy ventures into America (the main plot of the film) to find the right type of woman to marry, which is not like the subordinate women of his home land.

Thus, it is really interesting to see how Murphy's character with his great stature and protected-elite upbringing is depicted as a person who is having inner conflicts about the morality of the ethical foundations he received after being born a crown prince. Here the whole movie is about Murphy's (Akeem's) efforts to find a "normal" wife in America, while he tries to adapt to the great cultural "melting pot" that is America.

It is eerie to see how Akeem as an outsider with all the resulting effects tries very hard and foolishly to adjust to the chaos that is New York. The plot in this movie makes us want to ask, "what more could he (Murphy as Akeem) really not know?"

More Info: en.wikipedia.org