A true triumph in screenwriting and directing talent, Air manages to take a concept which sounds indescribably dull; how a bunch of corporate executives came to develop a new basketball shoe; and not only make it somewhat interesting, but a riveting, near two-hour, watch which simply flys-by, and succeeds on almost every level.
The true-life tale follows the path taken by Nike higher-ups to sign Michael Jordan, create the first ever Air Jordan shoes, and not only make everyone involved several boatloads of money, but revolutionise the sneaker/trainer market in the process.
It’s a story, and an idea, which can be told in a mere sentence; and as the film doesn’t focus on the outcome/cultural impact of the shoe-line itself, but chooses to focus on Nike’s effort to convince Michael (for anyone unaware; the greatest basketball player/athlete ever to grace an NBA court or the back of a decently-priced shoe) to sign a licensing deal with them, rather than competitors Adidas or Converse; the entire film is simply the lead-up to the marketing pitch which changed the world (of shoes), and made Nike a true force to be reckoned with.
The Martian’s Matt Damon headlines the cast as basketball scout Sonny Vaccaro; the man with the vision to go after Jordan even when his boss Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman, Ozark), and Nike C.E.O. Phil Knight (Ben Affleck, Argo), said nailing down Mike would be impossible. It’s framed as a one-man underdog story; as Sonny Vs. His bosses; Sonny Vs. Mike’s Agent (Chris Messina, Argo); Sonny Vs. Mike’s mom (Viola Davis, Suicide Squad); and even even a scrappy little company Nike (if you can believe it being framed as such) Vs. the big corporate giants of Adidas; and totally succeeds in getting you to root for a seemingly impossible business deal we all know works out in the end.
So how does Air achieve the seemingly impossible feat of getting you to care about a hugely influential but, to most people, rather mundane business deal? Through some fantastic, Aaron Sorkin level screenwriting from first time writer Alex Convery; a man who takes a film devoid of action, with very little drama, and basically nothing but office-based conversations, and fills it with heart. We care about the characters; not only do we want Sonny to succeed, we want the faceless employees of the Nike basketball division to keep their jobs, we want to see how Mike gets won over, we love the strength and business savvy emanating from Mike’s mother Deloris, we want to see what the original Air Jordan looked like, and we want to root for the underdogs.
Direction is also solid (with Affleck not only playing the part of Nike C.E.O. Phil Knight, but spending most of his time behind the camera), and the pacing is excellent; with not a minute of screen time wasted. But, what really sells Air is it’s fantastic cast.
Damon, who’s proved to be a fantastic leading man time and agin in films such as The Martian, Le Mans ’66, The Talented Mr. Ripley and more, takes the weight of the entire production on his shoulders, but more than carries the movie with an exceptionally endearing, enthusiastic, and often energetic performance which makes you totally forget you’re spending two hours watching a man, try to convince another man to put his name on a shoe. It’s a stellar performance, and one which is thankfully only bolstered by a superb supporting cast.
Bateman’s subtler comedic side gets a few chances to shine through, though his portrayal of Sonny’s boss Strasser is given weight with some mid-movie character moments and monologues which show what a range he has. Affleck is on scene-stealing top-form as the charismatic and mildly conflicted C.E.O., and even Jordan’s agent David Falk is brought to screen with a memorable swear-ridden performance by Chris Messina (reminiscent of Jeremy Piven’s turn as Ari Gold in Entourage).
The Fifth Element star Chris Tucker (who’s sadly a rare sight on our screens these days) is also a welcome and energetic addition as Jordan’s long-time friend Howard White, yet it’s Viola Davis who steals the show as Deloris Jordan; giving a wholly immersive and believable performance as a woman who knows exactly what she wants for her son, what he deserves, and how to get it from a world she rightly knows nothing about; and knowing she was personally chosen for the part by Michael Jordan himself only proves how brilliant she is.
Sporting a wonderful soundtrack which is a perfect example of not only fantastic music, but how to pull on the nostalgia strings of everyone watching; with so many classic hits perfectly placed and utilised throughout the picture, it truly draws you in to the setting, the characters, and gets you fist-pumping right behind these business renegades; with everything from the classic Chicago Bulls theme (probably best known to a younger/international audience as the track from Cobra Kai), to Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Run-D.M.C., Violent Femmes, and even the Beverly Hills Cop theme not only getting you toe-tapping, but planting those toes firmly in the ‘80s.
Not that you’d need reminding Air takes place in 1984; given the “this is the ‘80s” opening montage featuring everything from shoulder-pads and classic cars, to clips of The A-Team, Knight Rider, and and just about every recognisable piece of ‘80s pop-culture iconography you can squeeze into a two-minute clip, and the rest of the film shoe-horning in a number of unnecessary references (like close-ups of a Ghostbusters sticker for no reason whatsoever) whenever possible. Meaning, despite helping set the scene, the nostalgia-card is played a little too hard, and too often.
Also a strange, but stylistic, choice sees Michael Jordan basically absent from Air. True, in real-life his mother was very influential in the deal, but Air makes it look like Michael (not one to keep himself absent from dealings regarding his future) was a mere bystander to the whole thing; featuring him in barely a handful of scenes, refusing to let him talk, and not even showing his face for 95% of his screen time. It makes sense for Air as, for once, Jordan isn’t actually the focus here (it’s the deal itself, and the herculean efforts Strasser and co. put forward to make it happen), but hiding his face, staring at the back of a head, or the side of a mouth, of a figure who remains silent despite being one of the most charismatic people sports entertainment has ever produced, is nothing if not distracting.
Still, a distracting portrayal of Jordan and, some ham-fisted nostalgia are extremely minor gripes. In the end, Air is a surprisingly engaging and entertaining watch, filled with fantastic performances, a surprising amount of heart, legend, and interesting facts surrounding a deal which actually changed the business and cultural landscape to this day. A film which has no right to be as good as it is, Air comes highly recommended, deserves awards recognition, and a far bigger fanfare than it achieved upon initial release.
