Movie Breakdown: Air

Pre-Screening Stance:

Air is likely going to be a big Nike commercial, but it also looks pretty dang enjoyable. So, yeah, sign me up to learn about the greatest shoe deal of all time.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Air is a total feel good movie. I was curious if it was going to play like an almost two hour commercial, but director Ben Affleck keeps things engaging and does well to hold the spotlight on the actual people behind the landmark deal and not the Nike brand or even Michael Jordan. At the core of it all is, of course, Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), who leads the charge to sign Jordan. Damon is always compelling on the screen, but I feel like he turns that dial up a little more here. Though, to be fair, this could be because he’s bookended by over the top performances by Affleck (as Phil Knight) and Chris Messina (as David Falk), and supported with very endearing work by Viola Davis (as Deloris Jordan), Chris Tucker (as Howard White), Jason Bateman (as Rob Strasser), and Matthew Maher (as Peter Moore). In any case, the point is that since we all know how things ended up here – Nike and Jordan became one and have since been printing money – Damon’s turn as a guy that’s easy to root for is crucial to Air being an engrossing tale and not a tedious one. Here’s hoping he gets a few nods come awards season.

Think of Air like Moneyball, it works regardless of whether or not you care about the sport (and shoe, in this case) that it’s based around. The film opens in theaters today, April 5.

One Last Thought:

Damian Delano Young plays Michael Jordan in this movie, but you never see his face. I assume Affleck did this so the audience wouldn’t immediately go “that’s not Michael Jordan” but his efforts to avoid such a reaction are kind of distracting.