Compiling this list has made us realise what an incredible character Semmi is. We went through the film twice, with a fine-toothed comb and not a single thing that he says could pass as good piece of advice. Which is all the more phenomenal when you consider he is Akeem's aide, there to advise and steer the Prince.
Still, there's bags of words of wisdom in what is a truly wonderful film. Dive in...
(Images: Rex & YouTube)
1.
"I started out mopping the floor just like you guys. But now... now I'm washing lettuce. Soon I'll be on fries; then the grill. In a year or two, I'll make assistant manager, and that's when the big bucks start rolling in."
Maurice
2.
"I want the woman to love me for who I am, not because of what I am."
Akeem
3.
"He who would learn to fly must first learn to stand and walk."
Akeem
4.
"There is a very fine line between love and nausea."
King Jaffe Joffer
5.
"Time *does* fly fast"
King Jaffe Joffer
6.
"How can a man get excited about a woman he's never seen?"
Akeem
7.
"Times must and always do change."
Akeem
8.
"No journey is too great when one finds what he seeks."
Akeem
9.
"You can't go to no bar to find a nice woman. You gotta go to a nice place, a quiet place like a library, there's good women there and 'erm, church, they're good girls."
Clarence
10.
"I want a woman that will arouse my intellect as well as my loins."
Akeem
11.
"Only dogs are to obey. If you truly love your wife you will value her opinion."
Akeem
12.
"Wear your hair naturally. Like Dr Martin Luther King did. You ain't never seen Martin Luther King with no messy curls on his head."
Clarence
13.
"If there were no rose petals, I would still be the son of a king."
Akeem
14.
"It's normal to feel anxiety about meeting your queen."
King Jaffe Joffer
15.
"Get out, see the world. Enjoy yourself."
King Jaffe Joffer
16.
"The first reaction is often correct."
Akeem
17.
"If you have no more money, you can cause no more mischief."
Akeem
18.
"A man has the right to change his name to whatever he wants to change it to. And if a man wants to be called Muhammad Ali, you should respect his wishes and call the man Muhammad Ali. "
Saul
19.
"We're happy to get the kind of money that jingles, but we'd rather get the kind that folds. "
Lisa
20.
“I believe the children are our future; teach them well and let them lead the way.”
Randy Watson
Latest
Related Reviews and Shortlists
