Time to watch #OneNightInMiami . It’s my fifth watch so I’ll be tweeting along. (Mute thread if needed)

#OneNightinMiami That line delivery by Beau Bridges is absolutely devastating. I love Aldis Hodge there, too. His strong posture as he walks up to the house. His rigid politeness. His slow relaxation. And then his shock. Perfect.

Kingsley Ben-Adir obviously has one of the hardest jobs. Takes a lot to take on a role that’ll immediately have people comparing you to Denzel. The level of difficulty is astronomical. #OneNightInMiami

I do love the detail in Malcolm and Clay’s prayer scene. Also, the way Regina juxtaposes the simple spiritual hotel room to the secular bathing suit pool area. #OneNightInMiami #reginaking

Hodge has the best one-liners, some of them not repeatable among polite company, but “I wanted some pussy tonight” makes me scream every time. #OneNightInMiami  

The four leads have gotten a lot of credit - all of it deserved - but I really love Christian Magby with the smaller comedic role as brother Jamaal. He’s another charming cog in a very very charming cast and does the most with his screen time. #OneNightInMiami

**looks around** I prefer Eli Goree’s Ali/Cassius Clay to Will Smith’s. #OneNightInMiami

I love Will Smith’s Ali. However, Kemp Powers’ script is better written (which helps a lot) but Goree is as equally effective at finding a Clay that’s a fully realized human: the confidence, the humor, and the real self-doubt — rather than the publicized man #OneNightInMiami

Once again: A one-liner that’s not repeatable in polite company, but Cooke calling Malcolm a “sandpaper nigga” sends me. #OneNightInMiami

Ben-Adir — admittedly is playing a Malcolm that’s at a totally different point in his life than the full arc of Denzel’s — but I love that he’s kind of a dweeb. Totally uncool. The smartest kid in the class. Yet absolutely loyal and gentle. #OneNightInMiami

Malcolm and Cooke throwing verbal hands is as thrilling as any car chase or John Wick fight sequence. #OneNightInMiami

This colorism convo between Malcolm and Jim Brown is not only thematically intriguing, it builds these characters out well so well. Hodge has great zingers, but how much of a dramatic impact he makes in this quiet moment is brilliant #OneNightInMiami

#OneNightinMiami has the perfect ensemble. A sports metaphor: No one is out there looking to hit a home run. Yes - they hit their share of home runs. But they’re also hitting singles, doubles, triples, & bunts. They trust the next man up & are scoring lots of runs in the process.

That’s not only great casting but also Regina King as a director guiding these actors past the pitfalls to working as a team to find a truthful essence. #ReginaKing #OneNightInMiami

There’s a period piece out there that’s ummm getting a lot of awards buzz that does the complete opposite (I’ll let you guess which one). Everyone is trying to hit a home run and it shows. A great collection of actors trying for their Oscar moment with only a couple succeeding.

With regards to Sam Cooke’s live shows, I’d highly recommend listening to and comparing the subdued crooning on SAM COOKE LIVE AT THE COPA versus the punchier raucous SAM COOKE LIVE AT THE HARLEM SQUARE CLUB. Two very different sides to one fascinating artist. #OneNightinMiami

So this scene: lots of filmmakers would have had Sam Cooke play his song in that hotel room and done this whole I wrote this on the spot vibe. It’s one of the ways #OneNightInMiami and #reginaking avoid biopic conventions.

Teasing “A Change is Gonna Come” and holding it slightly back is totally the right decision. An emotional wallop brought by Leslie Odom Jr’s soul sweeping vocal. He puts everything in that performance and electric gold springs from him. #OneNightInMiami