Movie Review: ‘Air’

Review by James Lindorf

We’ve seen movies about business deals changing lives in “The Pursuit of Happyness” and “Joy.” We’ve seen great athletes being wooed towards a bright future in “Blue Chips” and “The Air Up There.” We’ve even seen characters try and change the world of sports and how athletes are managed in “Jerry Maguire.” Maybe for the first time, all three storylines are woven together in “Air,” the latest film from Director Ben Affleck that celebrates apparel juggernaut Nike and NBA legend Michael Jordan. Amazon Studios’ “Air: Courting a Legend” is currently playing in theaters nationwide.

Written by first-time screenwriter Alex Convery “Air” follows Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), the head of scouting in Nike’s floundering basketball division. It is 1984, Converse is the head of the pack, Adidas is the cool new kid, and Nike makes great running shoes. The basketball division is in deep discussion about what three rookies they will sponsor this year. It is a frustrating time for Sonny, marketing director Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman), player liaison Howard White (Chris Tucker), and the rest of the team as they debate the best of the rest after the top three picks, including Michael Jordan have no plans to sign with them.

Inspired by a racket commercial with tennis legend Arthur Ashe, Sonny wants to ditch their current plan and target a single athlete, Michael Jordan. One way they will lure the future Hall of Famer is by designing a shoe specifically for that athlete for the first time. With the guidance of George Raveling (Marlon Wayans), Sonny is going to need the approval of Nike CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) and Michael’s parents, Deloris (Viola Davis) and James (Julius Tennon), while dodging their agent David Falk (Chris Messina). It is the biggest gamble of Sonny’s career. If he is right, it will launch Nike into the stratosphere. If he is wrong, the basketball division at Nike will be shut down, and Sonny will be blackballed.

With one of the most famous outcomes in the world, there is no tension around whether or not Sonny’s gamble will pay off. The enjoyment comes in the journey and the performances. Matt Damon is fantastic and gives one of the best performances of his career. Damon being good shouldn’t surprise anyone, but what may be shocking is the possible career-best performances from Chris Tucker and Marlon Wayans. Audiences are most familiar with their wacky roles in comedies, but here they get to be serious while maintaining their charisma. While those performances are surprising, the most underrated performance goes to Chris Messina. He is tremendous as the acerbic agent Falk and steals every scene he and Damon share together. He serves as much-needed humor between scenes of people worrying about the fate of their careers.

There are some issues with “Air” that knock it down from being an all-time great sports film. The pacing drags a bit in the middle as the scenes begin to feel repetitive, even if they are well crafted. One of the few requests that Michale Jordan had when Affleck discussed making the film with him was the inclusion of George Raveling. I already mentioned that Wayans is good, and the scene serves as a tipping point for Sonny. Still, it feels like a scene added after the rest of the script was already written. It could be excised without any notable difference to the structure and outcome of the film. The last notable shortcoming is the handling of Michael Jordan as a character. I think he says a few words and is occasionally shown from behind, but the insistence to treat him as this larger-than-life mythical being wears on the movie. It gives all his scenes a sense of awkwardness and takes away some of Jordan’s agency as an individual. Giving all of the credit for his drive and decision-making off the court to his mother and those around him.

“Air” brings an incredible amount of humor and drama to a 40-year-old business deal. Affleck is still a top-tier director at eliciting great performances from friends and first-time collaborators. “Air” falls short of a slam dunk but is nearly flawless, earning a 4.5 out of 5 from me.

Rating: R for Language
Genre: Drama, Sports
Original Language: English
Director: Ben Affleck
Producer: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber, Jason Michael Berman
Writer: Alex Convery
Release Date: Apr 5th, 2023
Runtime: 1h 52m