buzz factor: 5/5

Legendary Sam Cooke, Jim Brown, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali spend the night in a Miami hotel room together. No, this is not the beginning of a joke, but rather a historic moment for these four powerful black men. Regina King’s “One Night in Miami” tells the story of what happened in Malcolm X’s hotel room after one of Muhammad Ali’s big fights when all four men partied together (mostly) sober. When discussing her passion for this film, director King explains, “it’s a beautiful story of brotherhood, just a display of black men expressing themselves healthily in a space that we don’t get the opportunity to see black men be.”

Barring a striking resemblance to his real-life character, Kingsley Ben-Adir takes on the intense role of human rights and political activist Malcolm X. The three other men fight with Malcolm X throughout the film. However, they have difficulty staying mad at him, as he has a way with his words; his character admits that he “only wants what is best for his friends.” Even though he struggles with his own religious and political identity, Malcolm X inspires Cassius Clay, better known as fighter Muhammad Ali, to convert to Islam and join the Nation of Islam. Viewers can witness an intimate moment between the two while Malcolm X prays with Clay using a traditional Muslim prayer mat in a hotel room right before Clay’s big fight.

Cassius Clay, played by Eli Goree, faces a dilemma when he thinks about what it means to be joining the Nation of Islam and converting to the religion, with the first rule being that he won’t drink alcohol anymore. Clay and Malcolm X have a very stable and close relationship until he realizes why Malcolm is trying to inspire him to convert for personal gain rather than a passion for Islam. Clay is pretty set on his decision the moment the reporters knock on the hotel room for photographs of the soon-to-be Muslim, and Clay stands smiling right next to Malcolm.

“Hamilton” actor and singer Leslie Odom Jr. was perhaps the true star of the film, captivating the audience with one simple, graceful falsetto note while shedding a single tear. Sam Cooke is ashamed to admit that his love songs are not changing the world and is envious of Bob Dylan’s ability to influence listeners with only words. Yet, he is afraid a black man will be unable to do the same. Cooke writes and performs “A Change is Gonna Come,” which comes about with a push from frenemy Malcolm X. 

A close friend of Clay, football player Jim Brown, played by Aldis Hodge, appears at the hotel room looking for a party and is disappointed when he realizes the four men will be sitting alone in the room all night with no liquor. Brown realizes this is the perfect moment to reveal his secret to Clay: that he will become an actor. Disappointed when Clay responds with a burst of laughter, Brown rolls his eyes, although he eventually retires his athletic shoes to become a professional actor. 

While no one exactly knows what went down in that hotel room, much of “One Night in Miami” is based upon the play of the same name written by Disney Pixar writer Kemp Powers. According to Powers, “this play is simply about one night, four friends and the many pivotal decisions that can happen in a single revelatory evening.”

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