Good morning, folks! I’m excited. I’m excited. Im excited. If you have not already heard, or been a part of the EPIC weekend, “Coming 2 America” (the sequel to the original “Coming to America” starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall) released this past weekend. Now, as much as I was looking for an enjoyable movie, I always look at the interiors to see how I like them. So what did I think of the sets? Well, I’ll tell you.

First, let me just give my two cents about this sequel: I thoroughly enjoyed it. I went in looking for nothing but an enjoyable experience, and that’s what I got. Some other folks, I think, started watching it with the lense of “classic” and “future comedic gold” and didn’t take the movie for what it was; which just happened to be a typical “rediscovering” of oneself with a sidebar unexpected romance that the audience could root for. From a storyline standpoint, it wasn’t anything new, but that didn’t make it any less worth the watch. Or any less funny for that matter. But I digress. Let’s get down to deets.

The movie itself was set at Rick Ross’ own home, a wonderful structure sitting on 230+ acres right outside Atlanta. Originally owned by Evander Hollifield, the structure stood out to me because it is divided in such a way that it creates separate wings branching off from a central point. Architecturally, the home gives us a lot to look at. Set decorator Douglas Mowat took the bones of the space and then added magic on top, utilizing all kinds of materials and lighting to create some magnificent moments. If this is your first experience with him, check out some of his other work in Inception, Bridesmaids, and House of Cards.

Hands down, one of the best set scenes was “the celebration”. It glowed with blue and purple lighting and the marble flooring made for a wonderful base in the dances and performances. The wall backdrop enhanced the beautiful costumes (thanks again Ruth Carter) that flow in and out of the scene. Other interior moments stand out, too, like Akeem meeting General Izzi and Mary and Lavell officially presenting themselves before the King and Queen for the first time.

The only thing that made the scenes lacking for me is that some of grandeur was lost because the space wasn’t as big inside as in the original movie. It’s like, yes, they used Rick Ross’ home, and yes they were able to create some great backdrops, but you can’t decorate size. Every space, except maybe the bath, read smaller. And in a movie where everything was meant to focus on growth and prosperity, to see that all the spaces were smaller was a little disappointing. Outside of that, what was presented was a Castle of Zamunda that had gone through a typical, and very grand, decor change over its 30 years.

Now, for obvious reasons, all the images for the movie haven’t dropped yet (it is opening weekend). We have to give people a chance to visually experience everything without our help. That being said, we’ll wait to see how the audience at large experiences the sets. In the meantime, like and subscribe to the blog for more interior fun. Until next time!