• Phenomenal veteran actress Regina King (Jerry Maguire, Ray, If Beale Street Could Talk) has her directorial feature debut – One Night in Miami
  • Kemp Powers adapts his own stage play for the screenplay (he’s having a big 2020 with this and Soul – which he also co-directed)
  • It is a fictional work but based on a true meeting between four of the most important (and talented) figures of the second-half of the 20th century: Malcom X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom, Jr.)
  • It takes place, like the title says, during one night in Miami – February 1964 and it is slightly reminiscent of another specific meeting conversational film- My Dinner With Andre (from Malle). The debate and discourse is amazing throughout– dialogue that absolutely sings (speaking of “singing”—yes that is Leslie Odom Jr.’s actual voice doing Sam Cooke)
  • In the first 17-minutes each character is introduced separately—each feeling the cold sting of prejudice. Clay is booed during a match at Wembley, Cooke gets a cold racist welcome at the Copa, Beau Bridges’ character keeps Jim Brown on his front porch despite the fake smile and pleasantries, — after the introductions we get the title card- a nice touch
  • It is limited cinematically by what you think a film based on a play and directed by an actor would be. But again, the writing is sharp, and the performances moving. Each actor is given their turn to showcase their gifts.
  • Ends with a montage of “A Change is Gonna Come”—I’m no music critic but it certainly doesn’t get much better than Sam Cooke
  • Recommend but not in the top 10 of 2020