No, it’s not too novel a concept. “Rich boy poses as poor boy to win real affection of girl” may not strike you as the hottest new premise for a film. But that may be because you haven’t seen it done by Eddie Murphy.

Well, there isn’t much need to explain the plot to “Coming To America” now, but perhaps a little elaboration would be in order.

“Coming To America” is the tale of an African prince (Murphy) who, sickened by the rampant coddling he receives at the hands of the women of his land, goes out in search of a bride who will be his equal rather than his servant.

Thus, with sidekick Semmi (Arsenio Hall) in trail, Prince Akeem goes to New York to find his Queen in Queens. Of course, to avoid a repetition of the groveling he gets at home, Akeem poses as a struggling African exchange student who must work at a fast food restaurant to pay the bills.

There, amidst the burgers and shakes, his highness finds his perfect mate (Shari Headley) and proceeds on his amusing, albeit predictable, courtship.

Eddie Murphy has been many things in many films. Hysterical, raunchy, overrated; these are all adjectives that have been used to describe this ex-“Saturday Night Live” regular. One word that probably never occurred to anyone to use in Murphy’s case prior to “Coming To America” is ‘cute.’

Yes, he’s funny, and some of the extra characters that he portrays are quite impressive, but the overriding theme to this performance is ‘cute.’ Audiences worry about him. No matter that they could probably foresee nearly every aspect of this film, they want him to do well and be happy. For a man who usually distances his fans even while they’re laughing uproariously at his antics, this performance is a step in a new (and welcome) direction.

As an excellent foil to Murphy’s sweetness is Arsenio Hall’s greedy, lecherous servant character. Hall is incredibly funny as the loyal friend and subject of Akeem’s who fails to comprehend why anyone would give up fawning females and a suite at the Waldorf-Astoria for something as trivial as “true love.”

Murphy and Hall’s comical styles complement each other exceptionally. The “extra” characters which both comedians play demonstrate their range as few other outlets could. A tip on this, watch the men in the barber shop.