OSCARS 2021: One Night in Miami... (2020)

In 2019, Regina King would be the surprise winner of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “If Beale Street Could Talk,” a movie that otherwise failed to impress Academy voters despite its overall critical acclaim. But King is not just an actress. She's been directing television, music videos, and documentaries since 2013. With “One Night in Miami...,” she would make her theatrically distributed feature debut. (Amazon picked up the movie and put it in a few theaters last December, before releasing it digitally earlier this year.) Much like her acting career, King's stint behind the camera has also been critically acclaimed. “One Night in Miami...” has received three Oscar nominations. 

King's film extrapolates from true events. In 1964, four prominent figures in black history happened to be in the same city. Cassius Clay dethrones Sonny Liston as the heavyweight champ of the world. NFL champion and MVP Jim Brown is a commentator on the match. Malcolm X and soul singer Sam Cooke are also in attendance. Clay and X meet at his hotel, with Brown and Cooke also being invited. What was suppose to be a party soon turns into a night full of complicated discussion about each men's standing in American culture, prompted by Clay's announcement that he's joining the Nation of Islam. (And X revealing that he plans to leave it.)

“One Night in Miami...” is an interesting example of what we call “hang-out movies.” It doesn't have much in the way of forward plot. Instead, it's just about spending time with a group of characters, as they shoot the shit and chat about life. What makes it unique is that the dudes we're hanging out with our icons of American culture and the civil rights movement. This means the conversation veers towards very important things indeed. Such as whether Clay is doing the right thing by converting to Islam. If Sam Cooke has done enough to further black voices. If white culture truly accepts star athletes like Brown and Ali. Yet “One Night in Miami” is also about these enormous figures just kind of screwing around. They eat ice cream, complain about the lack of girls or booze in the room, and goof around on the roof. It's amusing, and humanizing, to see such prominent figures acting like normal people. 

Yet, inevitably, “One Night in Miami...” has to grapple with historical events. This one night was surrounded by strife and tragedy. The film's epilogue depicts X's home being firebombed. The final title card points out that he was assassinated the very next year. Cooke would be killed later that year in a mysterious hotel shooting. They made a whole movie about the hardships Ali would face in the coming years. (I guess Jim Brown did okay for himself.) This knowledge certainly informs “One Night in Miami's” mood. As the conversations inevitably turn towards racial unrest and institutionalized bigotry. X antagonizes Cooke and the two debate extensively their roles in furthering the black race. Clay and Brown – about to pursue acting – ponder over their decisions. This is a movie well aware of the point in time it's reflecting on. 

Movies like this live and die based on their performances. Luckily, “One Night in Miami...” has an outstanding cast. There really aren't any recognizable actors in the film, save for a brief pat from Beau Bridges. Most of the cast have done television and bit parts in big movies. Leslie Odom, as Sam Cooke, is best known for his stage work in “Hamilton.” Odom brings a wry humor and occasional fury to Cooke. Eli Goree does a pitch-perfect riff on Muhammad Ali, supplying much of the film's humor and energy. Aldis Hodge conveys Jim Brown's trademark stoic quality very well, while still conveying a complex human being. Kingsley Ben-Adir brings a surprisingly neurotic quality to Malcolm X, portraying him as a man clearly weighted down by his responsibilities.

As a director, Regina King does a pretty good job. As you might have guessed its limited locations, “One Night in Miami...” is based on a stage play. Impressively, even though she rarely strays outside that hotel room, King's film feels very cinematic. (More so than follow stage-based nominee, “Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.”) The camera moves a lot within that confined space. Mostly, I was impressed at how funny and relaxed King's film is. It discusses many very important, heavy topics but never looses sight of the personality and humanity of these towering figures. [8/10]