'Air' Turns a Classic American Story into a Cinematic Triumph for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's Tale of Chasing Michael Jordan towards Shoe Stardom

by Darian Scalamoni

    Back in 1997, there was talk amongst Hollywood about the two young triumphant talents behind Good Will Hunting. Their names were Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and they had crafted what many believed was almost a perfect movie. Since then, they have had two very different trajectories career-wise but had held onto that relationship that made them like brothers throughout the years. Now, they've finally created a production company that aims to disrupt the industry in the best way possible. It's called Artists Equity and the first project under the banner is a film titled Air.

    Air follows the story that some may know, but others may still be in the dark to. It follows a passionate basketball afficionado and proclaimed "guru" Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) who is working underneath the compassionate but spiritual founder of Nike, Phil Knight (Ben Affleck). Knight is an ambitious, but zen-filled leader who is putting it upon Vaccaro to save his basketball division at the then-floundering sneaker company. While the movie centers around Vaccaro and his pursuit of potential basketball greatness in Michael Jordan, the relationship between Knight and Vaccaro is one to watch throughout the film. But then again, so are Vaccaro's relationships with all other co-stars. 

    Affleck has a special touch when it comes to direction, with Air being his fifth directorial effort. He's been in the shadows now since 2016 since his first flop, Live by Night hit big screens, however, with Air, Affleck does something that many aspire to do when telling a true story such as the creation of the Air Jordan shoe. He's able to keep the audience engaged, telling a story that many already are aware of despite knowing the outcome. It's a deceptive and genius tightrope that Affleck walks with help from not only his actors but also through editing, use of music and the tender conversations that the characters have throughout the film. 

    The film reminds me a lot of a "talky" feature such as The Big Short, however, it's not as gritty in its portrayal of a real-life story. Quite the contrary, what Affleck and co. are able to do with Air is provide the audience with a mature, mid-budget feature that also emphasizes the importance of a good team behind the scenes which reflects the overall arching theme of the story he's trying to tell. Accumulating such reliable talent as Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina, Matthew Maher and Jason Bateman on screen, as well as talents such as frequent Quentin Tarantino collaborator, Robert Richardson as cinematographer and Oscar-winning editor, William Goldenberg, help bring together an all-star collection of stars all their own.

    Damon's portrayal of the affectionate but confrontational Vaccaro is one that I think brings out some of the best work from the actor in years. Sonny is a gambler, not only in his own life but in the eyes of the execs over at Nike. Having been brought in for his acumen of the sport and hope that he can help them rise up from the obscurity of the basketball shoe circuit, Sonny is growing tired of the same old meetings. Meetings that have director of marketing Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) and other team members not being able to properly identify one player from the next. Vaccaro is sitting at home one night, and notices something rather special and distinctive from recent draft pick, Michael Jordan. He comes to Knight and Strasser trying to convince them that their whole entire yearly budget of $250,000 must be dedicated to Jordan, and only Jordan. Not only do they quickly shut him down, but the already lessened budget is supposed to be allocated amongst "3 or 4 players," let alone dedicating a full budget to someone who is far from a sure thing in the eyes of the corporation. 

    So, what does Vaccaro do? He decides to take matters into his own hands. Following in the footsteps of his hilarious and amusing player/friend turned executive Howard White (Chris Tucker), Vaccaro heads to North Carolina to speak with Jordan's parents. And while MJ's father James (Julius Tennon) is in the film, it's Jordan's mother, Deloris (Viola Davis) who is a standout and fantastic scene partner for Damon's Vaccaro. The above photo is from one of the few scenes that the two actors share together and was a major central point within the film. But what Davis is able to achieve with the small amount of screen time she does get, is a heightened sense of wisdom and profoundness in trying to protect her son from making the wrong decisions. In hearing out Vaccaro's proposal, he's able to secure a meeting with Jordan and his family following their meetings with the mega popular basketball sneaker brands of Converse and Adidas. 

    The most impressive part of the film to me is the snappy, yet tight script that is brought together by Alex Convery. In his first film credit, he's able to make all conversations and characters distinctive. Not only that, but almost every single performer in the movie gets an opportunity to shine. Whether it's Damon's intelligent and argumentative scenes with Affleck, Tucker's improv-laden talks about umbrellas, Messina's hilarious and overly emotional agent character David Falk, or Matthew Maher's discussions on shoe design as sneaker architect Peter Moore, the film is carried by the performances and the writing.

    Coupled with the 80s feel and scope captured so brilliantly with the visuals, music and production design, Air feels like a movie that is very much of its time while providing a story that is timeless. Affleck does a terrific job of delivering a fun-filled narrative while honing in on the pursuit that Nike has for Michael Jordan. As the audience waits for the shoe to drop, the creative team behind Air creates an immersive, surprisingly emotional journey that will make you want to fly. You'll attempt to chase the immortality that Vaccaro, Jordan and all throughout aspire to, and enjoy the flight towards the massive stature in the creation of Air Jordan. 

Overall Rating: 8.8