One Night in Miami (2020)

Director: Regina King
Stars: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr.
Runtime: 114 minutes

Synopsis: One Night in Miami is a fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.

Verdict: Regina King's directorial debut had all the ingredients to become a modern classic. About a fictional encounter (though the movie states otherwise?) that united four of the biggest names in African-American culture, it seizes that opportunity to allow the audience to get a glimpse at their ideologies in regards to numerous subjects. Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown all meet up at a hotel room in Miami, in which topics that include politics, faith, and their societal roles are all brought up.

In addition to its concept, one aspect that drove the film forward was the chemistry shared between the four leads. Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom Jr. all succeed in capturing both the camaraderie of the bunch as well as the tensions that resulted from differences in opinions spewed during that night. I truly bought them as their respective characters despite being initially put off by their lack of physical resemblance to them.

However, what prevents "One Night in Miami" from being the potential masterpiece it could've been are both its script and its pacing. The dialogue, especially in the unnecessarily lengthy first act, was too safe and dry, to the point where I found myself more than once disengaged with the unfolding events. The fact that the movie was visually stale didn't help its case either, making it fully rely on the performances to deliver the emotional attachment it was seeking.

"One Night in Miami" was a perfectly passable drama, but also a frustrating cookie-cutter version of what it could've been. I was expecting more out of its premise, and it sincerely bums me out to see it not reach its full potential.

FINAL GRADE: 6/10