The year is 1984. I promise you, it is 1984. How do I know? The multiminute opening montage is filled with clips and stock footage highlighting the year’s events—from Ghostbusters to Hogan beating Sheik to “Where’s the beef?” So, yes, the year is 1984. And shoe Goliath Nike maintains a minuscule 17% share of the basketball market—bested by Adidas and Converse.
As a child of the 90s, it was hard to realize there was a time Nike wasn’t THE shoe. Growing up, Nike was the be all-end all in my area—and of course, Michael Jordan was the be all-end all in the sports world. So, the story of the development of the Air Jordan is very interesting from a historical perspective. Framing a titan of the shoe industry as an underdog is a unique perspective that somehow manages to get us cheering for a billion dollar company.
Affleck laces up a win with AIR
It’s 1984 (I won’t remind you as many times as the movie does), and Nike is struggling to make headroom in the basketball shoe market. Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) entrusts Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) to find a face for Nike’s basketball shoes and accessories—with one hindrance, a low budget and not a lot of faith. Things have gotten so bad, that Nike’s entire basketball division is nearing the chopping block. Sonny knows they have one chance to score big. He needs Nike to do something unexpected and unprecedented—put all their eggs in one basket on what he deems a sure thing: the rookie Michael Jordan.
Working from a script by Alex Convery, Air takes flight in some unexpected ways. It is a testament to the cast that this movie works. Air is funny. It might be the funniest movie I have seen in a theater in a long time. Affleck, serving on the other side of the camera as co-producer and director, again proves his worth behind the camera. Air is visually very stylish for what is essentially an office dramedy. The camera tracks around from time to time bouncing from character to character while also providing a great understanding of space and action.
And while Affleck is killing it behind the camera, this movie soars on the back of its ensemble—Damon, Affleck, Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, and Matthew Maher. There is a stretch in the second act of Argo that lets our Hollywood cast of Affleck, John Goodman, and Alan Arkin just play and banter off of one another and supporting characters. It’s one of those movie moments where everyone is having fun, so the audience is having fun. That’s Air. It is funny and charming and endearing because the ensemble is having the best time just playing off of one another. Chris Tucker and Matt Damon get an early scene where they get to goof on one another and have a good time. Affleck and Damon trade barbs occasionally. And, that’s sort of the movie. Every member of the ensemble gets a big moment to shine—and Viola Davis, Chris Messina, Christ Tucker, Marlon Wayans, and Matthew Maher grab the ball and run with it.
Air is a classic crowd pleaser that will find a place amongst the beloved sports movies—even though it’s not necessarily a sports movie. It’s a sports-adjacent movie. However, it is structured very similarly to a sports movie, which is clever plotting.
And while it is a lot of fun and will kill in the right auditorium with the right crowd, Air does take a couple of hits. As I stated up top, it overkills the 80s nostalgia. There is a fun early montage, but it gives us several more 80s nostalgia bits throughout—and they’re just not necessary. Air also has a soundtrack. In fact, it is needle drop after needle drop after needle drop—and not all the needle drops work.
Lastly, the finale itself comes off a bit anticlimactic because we know how it ends. And, where Argo really comes together in its finale (which is also historical), Air is unable to maintain a sense of tension or anxiety as the stakes for us never feel that high. And that’s ultimately where Air sits. It is a fun, extremely solid movie giving us the behind the scenes on one of the most important sports deals in history(?!). But, the stakes are ultimately low, and it won’t be changing the shape of cinema—although, Affleck and Damon’s new production approach through Artists Equity might try.
I highly enjoyed Air. It works on a number of levels—whether you are interested in basketball, shoes, Michael Jordan, Nike, business, comedy, or historical narratives, Air will work for you. I expect it will be a big crowd pleaser and leave a smile on audiences everywhere.
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Arthur is a creator of content, lover of movies, and father of dogs. If you want to keep the conversation going, then click here to follow Arthur on Twitter. If you would like to keep up with what Arthur is watching, then head over to Letterboxd and give him a follow!
