“Air” Review
Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) does everything in his power to court Michael Jordan into making Nike his sneaker of choice in “Air.”
Most sports films focus on a single player, coach or a whole team. It’s a familiar arc that we all can get behind. It’s not often that you see the world of fashion handled in the same biting manner as an athlete’s pursuit of a championship or a fast-paced business drama. With incredible actors, a universally appealing story and energized direction by Ben Affleck, “Air” makes for a massively entertaining trip to the movies.
In 1984, the big shoe companies that dominated the NBA were Converse and Adidas with Nike being the laughingstock of basketball. Fully aware of Nike’s status, the company’s talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) decides to shake up the whole system by betting the entire basketball budget for the company to make a shoe line based on just one guy who’s yet to play his first NBA game. The player: Michael Jordan. Instead of His Royal Airness getting a biopic, the shoes he wore get the big screen treatment with Vaccaro, Marketing Vice President Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman), Field Representative Howard White (Chris Tucker) and CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) all working together to court this soon-to-be-legend and perhaps create the most iconic shoe of all time.
While Michael Jordan’s God given talent would have undoubtedly made him a superstar no matter what sneaker he wore, there’s no denying how much Air Jordan shaped his public image. Before the two threepeats, before “Space Jam” and before Gatorade and Wheaties and all of the other marketing tie-ins, Air Jordans made Jordan a marketing icon that only comes once in a generation, if that. So, it does make sense that a film like “Air” would be compelling. Both Jordan and Nike’s stake in basketball are true underdog stories that are tied into each other and result in a truly outstanding screenplay.
While Affleck’s direction and the performances of the cast are strong reasons to love this film, the real all-star is screenwriter Alex Convery. Convery’s script is incredible in how fast it is with a dynamic sense of humor. What’s even more impressive is that this is Convery’s first screenplay to be made in a film. If you look at his IMDb page, “Air” is the only film listed. Fuck Alex Convery. Not because he’s a terrible person because, for all I know, he’s probably a lovely guy. But because his first script is just too good. When you hear this dialogue, if you’re someone who writes, you’ll become full of jealousy as Convery takes the sports film and blends it with the speed of a Sorkin or Mamet drama. It’s that strong.
What makes “Air” so interesting and the character so compelling, is just how damn smart everyone is. Whether they’re the employees of Nike, Jordan’s colorful agent David Falk (Chris Messina) or Jordan’s parents Deloris and James (Viola Davis and Julius Tennon), all of the film’s main characters know what they’re doing and each of their motives create interesting conflict. Nike wants to make a hell of a shoe, Falk wants his client to get the best deal as he goes pro and Jordan’s parents just want their son to get the most fulfilling NBA career possible as they see the kind of superstar their son will become.
The film’s cast is composed of strong people who give a real clubhouse feeling to Nike as dedicated guys who want to keep changing the face of modern footwear. The way these people interact, you feel that they’ve all known each other for years which probably wasn’t that hard for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Much like his portrayal of Carroll Shelby in “Ford V Ferrari,” Damon’s performance is grounded in passion. With an understandable love for his basketball and his desire to drag Nike from its slump, his enthusiasm becomes ours. Along with Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker and Ben Affleck, the film is just teeming with strong performances that suck you into the hectic nature of this industry.
Who would have thought that this business would be so crazy? Deloris Jordan did apparently because Viola Davis seems to be the one person who keeps a level head and who keeps focusing on what matters, the well-being of her son. One of the film’s best scenes shows Sonny Vaccaro and Deloris Jordan talking about what it is that Nike can do for Michael with Damon and Davis being engrossing.
In “Air,” we never see Michael Jordan’s face and he only has one line of dialogue over the phone. In this film, Jordan isn’t a person. He’s an idea. A personification of the American dream and of god-like talent that has yet to be seen. I don’t know if a film can truly capture the amazing story of Michael Jordan with “The Last Dance” docuseries being the best representation of the man’s story.
However, “Air” does a marvelous job capturing the idea of Michael Jordan. The idea of an exceptional being so incredible that it’s almost like Hercules. What “Air” does is show all the hard work that went into revealing this idea and packaging it to the American public in nylon, rubber and leather. As a director, Ben Affleck immerses you in the world of 1984 with a montage of nostalgic imagery for the film’s opening credits before getting into the realities of the time. His adrenaline-fueled attitude behind the camera makes for a film that is as fast-paced as an NBA Finals game.
While I don’t think anyone was clamoring for a film to be made about the invention of Air Jordans, its existence is beyond satisfying. This could be one of the year’s most entertaining films where no one is shot or punched because, sometimes, all you need for a riveting story are interesting people trying to make something lasting. At the very least, you’ll know the full story behind those shoes that are the favorite of Mars Blackmon.
