Air Review: Nike might be at the top of the shoe-industry game right now but, has that always been the case? Well, the 2023 release is just the film to answer that question and, then some more. The biographical sports drama is directed by Ben Affleck (who also stars in the film) and written by Alex Convery. Based on true events, the movie is produced by Skydance Sports, Artists Equity and Mandalay Picture.
Air stars Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro, Affleck as Phil Knight, Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Messina as David Falk, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Julius Tennon as, James R. Jordan Sr., Tom Papa as Stu Inman, Joel Gretsch as John O’Neil, Gustaf Skarsgård as Horst Dassler, Barbara Sukowa as Käthe Dassler, Jessica Green as Katrina Sainz, Dan Bucatinsky as Richard, Damian Delano Young as Michael Jordan, Jay Mohr as John Fisher, Al Madrigal as Tim and Michael O’Neill as Joe Dean. The runtime for the film is 1 hour and 51 minutes.
– Amazon Prime Video’s Air Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers –
Air Review: Nike x Jordan = Vaccaro & More!
1984 saw the rise of Adidas, the mediocrity of Converse and the struggle that Nike had to go through to be where it is today. While on the verge of shutting down its basketball shoe division due to underperformance, we see a vision come to life and make Nike the top dog in the game business in Air.
The film opens with shots of events all relevant during the 1980s and, finally closes on Matt Damon’s Sonny Vaccaro attending a basketball game and taking some notes. Vaccaro is revealed to be the person put in charge of Nike’s basketball show division to hunt for new and old talents that would rank up their division and sales by Marketing VP Rob Strasser and the shoe dog himself, Phil Knight, CEO of Nike.
Vaccaro is clearly diligent with his task at hand, although it is restricted by the strict budgeting of the company and pushes to get the best. The dealbreaker moment for him and Nike comes in when he realizes the potential the young Michael Jordan has, in not only changing the world of basketball but, the future of Nike forever giving rise to a hilarious and excitable set of events that hold us witness to what might be called one of the greatest signings in the sports-business world.
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One might think Air starts off slow as it lingers over the edges of what the company is and where they are heading. But, what we understand halfway through the film as the infectious energy on the screen is the vibe our body is moving to. Affleck’s slow and steady direction is nothing but, a way of creating a build-up that pours a wide range of emotions over us.
Robert Richardson’s cinematography might look shaky as it tries to bring in a Spotlight or The Social Network-like touch to the film but, never really delivers it. This could be the only missing point in the movie because the music and the screenplay alongside the direction offer us a crackling flick.
The talented cast really pulls us in throughout the film. Starting from the conviction and determination in Matt Damon’s blue eyes in regards to signing Jordan to the Alpha-male philosophical attitude that Ben Affleck’s Phil Knight displays alongside Viola Davis’ knowing, Jason Bateman’s change and Chris Messina’s hot and cold presses, Air has done something truly phenomenal with the cast where everyone equally stands out in whatever capacity they can.
Air: Final Verdict
Overall, Air is a fine watch that one will enjoy until the very end. It leaves us with a valuable journey and a set of doctrines that can change one’s life. But most importantly, it delivers us with a quintessential line that connects sports and cinema. We see the line ”a shoe is just a shoe until someone steps into it” repeated all through the film, a possible metaphor telling us that a film is just a film until one lives it. So sometimes, you just have to do it.
Air is going to arrive on Amazon Prime Video on May 12, 2023.