Air marks another slam dunk for Ben Affleck as a director, and I’m almost tempted to say that I enjoyed this as much as I did his Oscar-winning Argo.
Like that film, this movie is a time capsule of 1984, and not only does it pay homage to Michael Jordan signing with Nike and creating the Air Jordan line of shoes, but it also plays the greatest hits of everything from 1984.
The opening credits give us a montage of iconic movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, complete with the recognizable theme song that plays a couple of times, as well as a scene from Ghostbusters. Other references include the Cabbage Patch Kids, the “Where’s the Beef?” ad, and even a glimpse of Hulk Hogan getting the spotlight, while Dire Straits “Money For Nothing” give us a shift into the paradigm of that year.
Matt Damon stars as Sonny Vaccaro, a talent scout agent for Nike whose given the task of finding new ways to brand a new line of shoes at Nike as they’re on the verge of bankruptcy. Ben Affleck costars as Phil Knight, Nike CEO.
Vaccaro believes the way to go is to get Michael Jordan to sign, despite the fact that he may be committed to Adidas. He’s convinced to talk to Jordan after seeing him in a commercial that demonstrates Jordan’s abilities.
Everyone at Nike thinks Vaccaro is crazy, but he decides to go visit Jordan and his parents at their home in Wilmington, North Carolina, and persuade MJ to sign with them. That is, if he can get past MJ’s mother, Deloris (Viola Davis). She’s enticed after learning Nike will give her son all the attention that would he would not receive from their competition.
In addition to Davis’ terrific work, one of the movie’s strengths is its supporting cast which is equally fleshed out as players in the game who come up with their own strategies. Jason Bateman costars as Rob Strasser, the VP of Marketing at Nike, who wants to be optimistic but thinks Sonny is in over his head. Chris Tucker is Howard White, an executive at Nike who has connections with George Raveling (Marlon Wayans), an assistant basketball coach at the 1984 Olympics, and Jordan was on his team. Sonny thinks George can play a hand in getting Jordan to sign.
Affleck is clearly back in his element as a director, and his performance shines alongside his Good Will Hunting alum. Just as he did with Argo, Affleck helps bring to life another American story that has so much more going for it than we knew. Affleck helms deft direction, and that’s in part to Alex Convery’s sharp, funny, and well-crafted screenplay.
Damon also delivers an alley-oop as he creates a character that is determined to see Jordan sign with Nike, and he doesn’t do any traveling with his performance.
I can say the same about the rest of the cast, as they’re in pitch-perfect form. I was glued to just about every second of Air, which doesn’t waste a second of its 112-minute runtime.
This film has a solid narrative, performances by actors committed to their roles, and offers unique insights into a world that, on the surface, might seem monotonous, but thanks to Affleck, Damon, Convery, and the rest, Air is energizing and electric.
This is already the year’s first sure-fire Oscar contender. It hits nothing but net.
Grade: A
(Rated R for language throughout.)
