As a drama based on the remarkable, true story of Nike’s efforts to capitalize on future basketball star Michael Jordan, Air is a winning combination of writing, direction (Ben Affleck) and performances led by Matt Damon and Viola Davis.
In 1984, Nike is desperate to branch out (from being simply known as a shoe brand for joggers) to pursuing basketball player endorsements where the competition is fierce from Adidias and Converse. Sonny Vaccaro (Damon) comes to realize the potential greatness of newly drafted Michael Jordan and risks everything to secure him for Nike, whose leadership (Affleck and Jason Bateman) has serious doubts and budgetary limits. However, Sonny is determined to land the account and takes an unorthodox approach by reaching out directly to Jordon’s mother (Davis is terrific) in a bold maneuver to win the deal. In doing so, it has enormous consequences, and he not only risks his future but that of Nike.
The excellent screenplay (Alex Convery) is filled with snappy dialogue and funny lines which propel a well-paced story that amounts to be a race against time with last minute negotiations and moments of creative inspiration while injecting some marvelous interplay particularly in the scenes between Damon and Davis (who was hand-picked by Michael Jordan himself). Providing a strong period flavor with its contemporary, pop soundtrack, the film convincingly portrays Sonny as a determined individual with an unwavering power of belief.
On
the surface, this may seem like a glorified commercial for Nike, and despite the
public knowledge of how things developed, it’s so much more, as the journey of how this came to be emerges
as a fascinating, engrossing tale, one worth telling. It’s about real people who were willing to
take extraordinary risks against overwhelming odds.
****1/2
of ***** stars on Amazon Prime
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