One Night In Miami

Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke, and Malcolm X walk into a bar... and make quite a case for what-if fiction. 

While these four icons did indeed know each other and actually gathered in a Miami hotel room, no one really knows what took place behind those walls. Lucky for us, screenwriter Kemp Powers imagine the gathering was full of thought-provoking speeches and arguments. 

One Night in Miami is based on his 2013 play, but unlike this year's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, it doesn't feel like a play on screen. Thank first-time director Regina King (Watchmen, If Beale Street Could Talk).

Thank the performers too. Eli Goree and Aldis Hodge are spot-on as Ali and Brown respectively. Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton) dazzles as Cooke, and Kingsley Ben-Adir (TVs High Fidelity) holds his own as X, but he's haunted by his on-screen predecessor Denzel Washington (Malcolm X) and never reaches those heights.

I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction when presented as realistic as this, but it's a forgivable treat to imagine what took place with these four together. Everyone involved was bold to attempt to write for, showcase, and portray this Avengers-assembly of icons. And everything works.

In a nutshell: Regina King delivers on the thrill of being a fly on the wall in this imaginary hotel room. 

Award potential: Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay nominations are likely. It gets tricky after that. The Academy has ruled that these four actors must all compete in the Best Supporting Actor category, despite pushes for Goree and Ben-Adir to compete in the Best Actor category. That could lead to canceling each other out, but I expect Odom Jr.'s showy performance to stand out and receive the single nod.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks. 

(On Amazon Prime beginning January 15)