Movie Review: One Night In Miami... (2020)

Genre: Drama  

Director: Regina King  

Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Beau Bridges  

Running Time: 114 minutes  

Synopsis: In early 1964, Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) defeats Sonny Liston in Miami to become the heavyweight boxing world champion. Famous singer Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and star football running back Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) attend the bout. Through his friendship with Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Cassius is considering joining the Nation of Islam, a radical movement advocating for black civil rights. The four men convene in a motel room, with Malcolm X intent on motivating his friends to do more for black rights.

What Works Well: Inspired by real events and real people, this adaptation of the Kemp Powers play is a worthwhile "let's put four famous people in a room and see what happens" exercise, carrying echoes of Insignificance. Here the focus in on the black experience and different perspectives on the responsibilities of famous men to deploy fame for social change. Kingsley Ben-Adir conveys passion mixed with traces of exhaustion and self-doubt, his Malcolm X the conversation instigator in demanding that his star colleagues rethink their considerable influence. In the company of headstrong men confined to a small room, the drama carries a persistent edge through punchy dialogue and physical presence.

What Does Not Work As Well: With Malcolm X forcefully challenging Sam Cooke to reconsider how he is using his voice, Cassius Clay and Jim Brown are sidelined for long stretches. Clay is anyway portrayed as young, cocky, and far from interested in contributing to serious discourse. The material's stage origins are obvious, despite good work from director Regina King to occasionally find reasons to leave the room.

Key Quote:

Sam Cooke: Everybody talks about they wantin' a piece of the pie, well I don't. I want the goddamn recipe.

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