One Night in Miami (2021)

 Though this film was just released today, it is considered part of the 2020 Oscar season, just to clear everything up.

After four little vignettes, introducing us to the four main characters, before they all meet up for a night in Miami, just after Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) wins the heavyweight championship in a bit of a surprising upset, and football player Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) is upset that there is no party as he wanted to meet a girl. But Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir) is hoping for a more spiritual night to reflect on how African Americans are treated in America and what he plans on changing things, hopefully for the better. Also joining them is musician Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom, Jr). The bulk of the film is the men getting through the night and reacting to Cash's revelation that he's converting to Islam while Malcolm believes that Sam has the biggest platform to campaign for justice and yet all he does is attempt to figure out how to cater to white people. 

While the plot may be slightly basic, the film is nonetheless a masterpiece with the four leading men delivering brilliant pitch-perfect performances, each of them dealing with race in their own specific way. And the screenplay is tight, as this was originally a play, which is something I hope to see more of as the characters are often much better written in plays. And even the ending is excellent with Sam finally delivering a meaningful song, hopefully to help the movement. Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-One of the opening vignettes involving Jim meeting up with a high school coach, Mr. Carlton (Beau Bridges) ends shockingly. After constantly praising Jim for his amazing talent and treating him kindly, Jim offers to help the older man move from furniture, but Mr. Carlton replies, "Thanks but no thanks, we don't allow negroes in the house," only he uses a different term for negro, leaving even me speechless.

-Of course Sam has a flask in his guitar case. 

-While the epilogue mentions Malcolm's death, Sam Cooke is actually the first to die, before the year of 1964 is out. Also, he should get his own biopic. His life is full of more than enough material to fill a whole film.

-Sam has copyrighted all of his songs so whenever someone else makes them famous, he gets a check. He's certainly a shrewd businessman and has economic freedom, which is more than the others have. 

-Who decides that only ice cream will satisfy four grown men after a boxing match?