Sonny Vaccaro and Nike pursue basketball rookie Michael Jordan, creating a partnership that revolutionizes the world of sports and contemporary culture.
Air runs the gamut of sports underdog tropes as it dramatizes the truth story of how Michael Jordan and Nike started their legendary business relationship. Ben Affleck’s direction injects the film with a breezy, retro feel by using archival footage and music to place it firmly in a very specific place in time. In lesser hands, this could have been a very bland and paint by the number dramatization that wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting as it is since we all know how it ends. The film’s biggest asset though is its cast which is made up of likable actors led by Matt Damon. The role of Sonny Vaccaro is perfectly suited for Damon’s talents since it requires an air of authentic sense of self-determination, drive, and vulnerability. He delivers the kind of performance that makes some of the more grandiose and self-aware speeches hit with more emotional impact than they would in the hands of a lesser actor. The supporting cast is made up of familiar faces like Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker and Affleck who all share the kind of lived-in chemistry which make their interactions believable. Chris Messina is fun even though he’s jarringly over the top as legendary sports agent David Falk. Viola Davis and her real-life husband, Julius Tennon, play Jordan’s parents with the kind of levelheaded parental energy the roles call for. Jordan himself is only shown from behind and has very minimal dialogue with archival footage from his career and life serving as most of his presence in the film. The script smartly focuses the story on the Nike side of this story since Jordan is such a well-known figure. There are moments, though, where the script rushes some of the behind-the-scenes machinations and relationships a bit too much to make you believe they would take such a massive risk. These issues are sort of baked into the genre along with the predictability of it all, but Air does an impressive job of making it all so easy and engaging to watch.
B+
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