The reviews split almost evenly, and the one thing nearly everyone agrees on is Eddie Murphy. Even critics who dislike the film credit his prince, played with more restraint and sweetness than they expect, and the warmer notices go further, praising his and Arsenio Hall’s turns in multiple roles under heavy make-up, James Earl Jones in support, and Landis’s brisk comic timing. Slant Magazine also singles out the film’s affectionate and unusual treatment of African characters.
The argument is over the script. The negative reviews call it thin, predictable and closer to a string of television sketches than a romantic comedy, leaning on crude jokes early and reaction shots later; the Los Angeles Times goes furthest, calling it a waste of its cast. There is a pattern to the dissent: the notices from the film’s release are the harshest, while critics writing years later find the humour has held up better than anyone expected.