One Night in Miami might have one eventful night at the Oscars. Directed by Regina King, the film largely takes place in a Miami hotel room in 1964, where four Black icons — boxer Cassius Clay, civil rights activist Malcolm X, athlete Jim Brown, and singer Sam Cooke — celebrate Clay’s win earlier that evening. They also “grapple with their own fame and how that translates what they can and should be doing for Black people in America,” as our own Mike Ryan wrote in his glowing review (I can confirm; it’s good).
Here’s the official plot synopsis:
On one incredible night in 1964, four icons of sports, music, and activism gathered to celebrate one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. When underdog Cassius Clay, soon to be called Muhammad Ali, defeats heavy weight champion Sonny Liston at the Miami Convention Hall, Clay memorialized the event with three of his friends: Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown. Based on the award-winning play of the same name, and directed by Regina King, One Night In Miami… is a fictional account inspired by the historic night these four formidable figures spent together. It looks at the struggles these men faced and the vital role they each played in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 1960s. More than 40 years later, their conversations on racial injustice, religion, and personal responsibility still resonate.
One Night in Miami premieres on Amazon Prime Video on January 15.