You would be hard pressed to walk around the mall and not see the Air Jordan logo somewhere. And I’m not even talking about in stores. I’m talking sneakers all over worn by kids. One truly amazing thing is that even though Jordan hasn’t been on the court in 20 years, his shoes are still some of the most worn, most sold, most prized. The brand is reported to have hit $5 billion in annual revenue in 2022. 

To stop myself from sounding like a press release for Air Jordan, all of this is table-setting for asking why someone should watch Air, the new film directed by Ben Affleck and starring Matt Damon. It’s a film where Michael Jordan’s shadow hangs heavily, but he is far from the center of it. Instead, we follow Damon’s Sonny Vaccaro as he goes on a seemingly quixotic quest of signing Michael Jordan to Nike. 

The film brings us all the way back to the year Jordan was drafted, 1984, and introduces us to what now looks like a very different world. This is a period piece that leans heavily into the ’80s nostalgia trend, bringing in many montages and production design pieces that highlight specific bits of pop culture of the time. In addition, there’s a decidedly ’80s, mostly yacht rock and pop soundtrack lurking at every corner. My major beef with the film is how it’s so worried that you’ll forget it’s set in the ’80s that has to interrupt sequences with a needle drop. 

Anyway, in that year, Nike was a successful company, but its basketball division sucked and it was not considered a cool brand. Nike’s basketball department contents itself with signing lower draft picks, players who wouldn’t be courted by their competitors, like, ahem Charles Barkley and John Stockton. But Sonny Vaccaro wants to do a crazy thing and convince Jordan, through his mother played by Viola Davis, to sign with them. 

I’ve written all this intro and table-setting to say that while all reviewers come with a bias, this thing really stacks things in my favor. I’m a kid of the ’80s, have strong nostalgia for the culture, came up in a world where Jordan was a sports hero, and…like many people I love my sneakers. 

It’s a pretty easy sell for a good segment of the population. Add in the outstanding cast and another strong directorial effort from Affleck and it’s gonna be a movie to watch. Though I found Affleck might have indulged in that ’80s nostalgia too much, he still brought forward something that feels “of that moment” and not just a recollection of that time. In addition, the storytelling here is interesting. And while any “sports movie” usually has the inherent drama of sporting events, Air decides to go away from sports and lean into business. 

In fact I would argue that it’s really a business movie, but one that shows the business around sports. That’s where I come to admire Air and why I would recommend it. 

On paper, this is just the story of a single endorsement. What Air manages so well is how it is able to illustrate how much this one endorsement would mean. In addition, it’s a foregone conclusion. We’re all wearing Nike Air Jordans. But despite that, the movie manages to build a sense of suspense and a feeling like Vaccaro might still fail. Obviously the stakes here are far lower than, say, Affleck’s Argo, but still he manages to imbue this with a sense of urgency and importance. 

As expected, performances from Damon and Davis are powerful and they serve as fulcrums for the film. It’s interesting how they are allowed to play, both in opposition and in collaboration. They don’t get too much screen time together, but when they do, it’s great. Supporting cast also keeps things solid, especially a strong turn from Jason Bateman as marketing head Rob Strasser. 

I enjoyed this movie not only because it’s a well-made flick, but because it could have been really boring. There’s a lot of discussion about market share, competitive advantage, understanding market, taking risks, marketing, shoe design. It’s not exactly, say, an easy sell like a superhero flick or John Wick that can easily fill the seats. But it moves effortlessly as a film, like a great basketball player, it knows how to find the right spots to be. It weaves through and finds its openings, and then it just delivers shot after shot. Part of the effortlessness is in its ability to be funny without chasing laughs and in being able to introduce serious, heavy ideas that sit with us far longer than its runtime. – Rappler.com