# One Night in Miami...

One Night in Miami... is a 2020 American drama film directed by Regina King (in her feature film directorial debut) from a screenplay by Kemp Powers, based on his 2013 stage play. The film is a fictionalized account of a meeting on February 25, 1964, between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke in a room at the Hampton House, celebrating Ali's surprise title win over Sonny Liston. It stars Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom Jr. in the lead roles, with Lance Reddick, Joaquina Kalukango, Nicolette Robinson, and Beau Bridges in supporting roles.
One Night in Miami premiered at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2020, a first for an African-American female director. The film was released in limited theaters by Amazon Studios on December 25, 2020, before being released digitally on Amazon Prime Video on January 15, 2021. It received praise for King's direction, the performances (particularly from Ben-Adir and Odom), and Powers's screenplay. The film earned three nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Odom, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Song ("Speak Now"). King also earned nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director and the Critics Choice Award for Best Director.

## Plot

In 1963, Cassius Clay nearly loses a boxing match to Henry Cooper at Wembley Stadium in London. At the Copacabana in New York City, soul singer Sam Cooke suffers through a performance in front of a cold, all-white audience. Returning home to Georgia, NFL player Jim Brown is received by family friend Mr. Carlton on a vast plantation. Carlton ladles praise on "the great Jim Brown," but when Brown offers to help Carlton move some furniture, Carlton uses a racial slur and informs Brown that he is not welcome inside the home due to Brown's blackness. Elsewhere, Malcolm X returns home and discusses his plans to leave the Nation of Islam with his wife, Betty.
On February 25, 1964, the men are all in Miami for Clay's title bout against Sonny Liston. Malcolm meets with Clay in a hotel room before the fight, and the two pray in a traditional Islamic fashion. That night, Brown is a ringside commentator and Cooke and Malcolm X are in the crowd as Clay upsets Liston, making him the world heavyweight champion.
Afterward, Malcolm invites the other three men to his motel room. Their hopes of a party are dashed when Malcolm makes it clear they are the only ones he invited. He wants to spend some time reflecting on their accomplishments, but tension between him and Cooke arises. Malcolm accuses Cooke of disloyalty to the black community by pandering to white audiences, and Cooke argues that his method produces greater economic empowerment for black artists. Clay informs the men of his plans to announce his conversion to the Nation of Islam, causing more tension. Brown discusses his plans to become a film actor, and wonders if it will go smoothly.
The conflict between Malcolm and Cooke escalates. Malcolm harshly ridicules the music Cooke has produced since finding success. Cooke insists his success and creative autonomy is itself an inspiration to the black community, and while he still cares about the black struggle in America, protest songs are not commercially viable. Malcolm confronts him with the success of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind".
As they argue, it becomes clear that Malcolm's antagonism of Cooke is motivated, at least in part, by the activist's stress over his own life, especially his harassment by the FBI and fears about his schism with Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm is devastated to learn that Clay is having second thoughts about his conversion. He tells Clay that he is planning to form his own organization and asks him to join. Clay refuses, feeling betrayed by his mentor, and wondering if his conversion has been a ploy by Malcolm to attract attention to his new project. A knock at the door informs them that the press has gotten wind of the meeting. As Clay prepares to talk to the media, he asks Malcolm to come with him. When they leave, Cooke tells Brown that he has had similar thoughts about "Blowin' in the Wind" and has already written a song, but not yet performed it.
In the aftermath of the night, Clay officially changes his name to Muhammad Ali, while Malcolm's life is thrown into chaos as he suffers the consequences of his split with the Nation of Islam; his house is firebombed, but he completes his autobiography. Cooke debuts "A Change Is Gonna Come" on The Tonight Show. Brown leaves the NFL to pursue his movie career. The film ends with a title card with a quote from Malcolm on February 19, 1965, about the inevitability of martyrs for the cause, and that he was assassinated two days later on February 21.

## Cast

* Kingsley Ben-Adir as Malcolm X
* Eli Goree as Cassius Clay
* Aldis Hodge as Jim Brown
* Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke
* Lance Reddick as Brother Kareem
* Christian Magby as Jamaal
* Joaquina Kalukango as Betty X
* Nicolette Robinson as Barbara Cooke
* Michael Imperioli as Angelo Dundee
* Lawrence Gilliard Jr. as Drew Bundini Brown
* Beau Bridges as Mr. Carlton. He is based on a real acquaintance of Brown's, who made him stay on the porch of his house and would not let him inside because he is black, as depicted in the film, and written about in Brown's autobiography.
* Emily Bridges as Emily Carlton
* Jeremy Pope as Jackie Wilson
* Christopher Gorham as Johnny Carson
* Jerome A. Wilson as Elijah Muhammad
* Amondre D. Jackson as L.C. Cooke, Sam's brother
* Aaron D. Alexander as Sonny Liston
* Randall Newsome as Myron Cohen
* Alan Wells as Ed McMahon
* Sean Monaghan as Henry Cooper

## Production
### Development

In July 2019, Deadline Hollywood reported Regina King would direct and executive produce filming Powers' screenplay. In January 2020, King announced the casting of Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., and Lance Reddick in the lead roles.

### Filming

Principal photography began in January 2020, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

### Music

In September 2020, Odom said he had co-written the original song for the film, "Speak Now" with Sam Ashworth. The official lyric video and single for "Speak Now" was released January 5, 2021. On January 20, 2021, the official music video for "Speak Now" featuring Odom was launched.

## Release

The film had its world premiere at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2020. It also screened at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was the runner-up for the People's Choice Award. It has screened or been scheduled to screen at film festivals in Zurich, London, the Hamptons, Mill Valley, Middleburg, Chicago and Montclair.
Amazon Studios acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film in July 2020. It was announced for a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 25, 2020, followed by its streaming release on Amazon Prime Video on January 15. The film premiered on December 25, only exclusively at the Landmark Theatre at Merrick Park in Miami, before further expanding to select nationwide theaters on January 8, 2021, the week prior to its streaming release.

### Home media

In March 2021, it was announced that One Night in Miami... would be released on DVD and Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection. In September, Criterion confirmed their edition of the film would be released on December 7, 2021.

## Reception
### Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 98% based on 345 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "A hauntingly powerful reflection on larger-than-life figures, One Night in Miami finds Regina King in command of her craft in her feature directorial debut." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film an "A−" and said that "Yes, One Night in Miami often looks like the play it's based on, but King and her stars make the most of any stage-y limitations, and the filmmaker frequently turns her eye to well-assembled overhead shots and a graceful use of mirrors to keep her many characters in the frame all at once." Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised the characters and the film's parallels to modern day, writing: "One Night in Miami is a casually entrancing debate about power on the part of those who have won it but are still figuring out what to do with it."
According to Aldis Hodge, he heard "through the grapevine" that Jim Brown—the only subject of the film alive at the time of the film's release—liked the film and approved of Hodge's portrayal of him.

### Accolades

| Award | Date of Ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| Academy Awards | April 25, 2021 | Best Supporting Actor | Leslie Odom Jr. | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | April 25, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Kemp Powers | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | April 25, 2021 | Best Original Song | Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth | Nominated |
| AAFCA Awards | April 7, 2021 | Best Director | Regina King | Won |
| AAFCA Awards | April 7, 2021 | Best Ensemble | Best Ensemble | Won |
| AAFCA Awards | April 7, 2021 | Best Screenplay | Kemp Powers | Won |
| American Film Institute Awards | February 26, 2021 | Top 10 Movie of the Year | Top 10 Movie of the Year | Won |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | January 4, 2021 | Best Picture | Best Picture | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | January 4, 2021 | Best Director | Regina King | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | January 4, 2021 | Best Woman Director | Regina King | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | January 4, 2021 | Best Supporting Actor | Leslie Odom Jr. | Won |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | January 4, 2021 | Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay | Kemp Powers | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | January 4, 2021 | Best Ensemble | Kimberly Hardin | Won |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | January 4, 2021 | Best Cinematography | Tami Reiker | Nominated |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | January 4, 2021 | Best Editing | Tariq Anwar | Nominated |
| BET Awards | June 27, 2021 | Best Movie | Best Movie | Nominated |
| BET Awards | June 27, 2021 | Best Actor | Aldis Hodge | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | April 10, 2021 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Leslie Odom Jr. | Nominated |
| Casting Society of America | April 15, 2021 | Feature Studio or Independent – Drama | Kimberly R. Hardin and Tracy Kilpatrick | Won |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | December 21, 2020 | Best Supporting Actor | Leslie Odom Jr. | Nominated |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | December 21, 2020 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Kemp Powers | Nominated |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | December 21, 2020 | Most Promising Performer | Kingsley Ben-Adir | Nominated |
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | April 13, 2021 | Excellence in Period Film | Francine Jamison-Tanchuck | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Picture | Best Picture | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Director | Regina King | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Supporting Actor | Leslie Odom Jr. | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Kemp Powers | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Acting Ensemble | Best Acting Ensemble | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Song | Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth | Won |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | April 10, 2021 | Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film | Regina King | Nominated |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | January 11, 2021 | Breakthrough Actor | Kingsley Ben-Adir | Won |
| Golden Globe Awards | February 28, 2021 | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Leslie Odom Jr. | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | February 28, 2021 | Best Director | Regina King | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | February 28, 2021 | Best Original Song | Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth | Nominated |
| Grammy Awards | April 3, 2022 | Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media | Various Artists | Nominated |
| Grammy Awards | April 3, 2022 | Best Song Written for Visual Media | Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth | Nominated |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | January 27, 2021 | Best Original Song in a Feature Film | Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth | Nominated |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards | January 18, 2021 | Best Picture | Best Picture | Won |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards | January 18, 2021 | Best Director | Regina King | Nominated |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards | January 18, 2021 | Best Supporting Actor | Leslie Odom Jr. | Won |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards | January 18, 2021 | Best Screenplay | Kemp Powers | Nominated |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards | January 18, 2021 | Best Original Song | Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth | Won |
| Independent Spirit Awards | April 22, 2021 | Robert Altman Award | Regina King, Kimberly Hardin, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge and Leslie Odom Jr. | Won |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 27, 2021 | Outstanding Motion Picture | Outstanding Motion Picture | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 27, 2021 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Aldis Hodge | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 27, 2021 | Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture | Regina King | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 27, 2021 | Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture | Kemp Powers | Nominated |
| Online Film Critics Society Awards | January 25, 2021 | Best Supporting Actor | Leslie Odom Jr. | Won |
| Online Film Critics Society Awards | January 25, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Kemp Powers | Nominated |
| Online Film Critics Society Awards | January 25, 2021 | Best Directorial Debut | Regina King | Nominated |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | March 24, 2021 | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Jess Wu Calder, Keith Calder and Jody Klein | Nominated |
| San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | January 11, 2021 | Best Picture | Best Picture | Nominated |
| San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | January 11, 2021 | Best Ensemble | Best Ensemble | Nominated |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards | January 18, 2021 | Best Supporting Actor | Leslie Odom Jr. | Nominated |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards | January 18, 2021 | Best Original Score | Terence Blanchard | Nominated |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards | January 18, 2021 | Best Production Design | Barry Robison and Mark Zuelzke and Janessa Hitsman | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | April 4, 2021 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Kingsley Ben-Adir, Beau Bridges, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Michael Imperioli, Joaquina Kalukango, Leslie Odom Jr., Lance Reddick and Nicolette Robinson | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | April 4, 2021 | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role | Leslie Odom Jr. | Nominated |
| Toronto International Film Festival Awards | September 20, 2020 | People's Choice Award | One Night in Miami | Runner-up |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | March 21, 2021 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Kemp Powers | Nominated |