Air

The Nike Air Jordan is a staple for sneakerheads, fashion enthusiasts, and basketball fanatics alike. At a time where is feels like there is some new biopic every other week, director and actor Ben Affleck’s 2023 movie Air tells the origin story of the Nike Air Jordan shoe line and how Nike at a time where they had no game when it came to the NBA convinced Michael Jordan to sign with them. The movie follows a team at Nike in 1984 with Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro, a Nike basketball expert, Ben Affleck as Phil Knight, co-founder and the CEO of Nike, Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, the Nike VP of Marketing, and Chris Tucker as Howard White. The movie also stars Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan.

The movie opens with an homage to the decade. Flashes of nostalgic pop culture and highlights of the 1980s appear as Dire Straits plays. The music in Air is a wave of reminiscence as Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, REO Speedwagon, The Alan Parsons Project, Big Country and other artists from the time period consume the soundtrack as synths and heavy strings and loud vocal performances blast with the camerawork. The year is 1984 and Converse is the dominant basketball shoe for the NBA, the Converse Chucks are all over the basketball court. Adidas have begun to rapidly gain popularity amongst younger generations due to the 1980s hip hop streetwear scene alongside their three-stripe suits as American hip hop group Run-DMC release their hit song ‘My Adidas’. Nike is trying to enter the basketball scene as Sonny aims to secure rising basketball-star Michael Jordan into a deal with Nike. He has an unheard-of idea where Nike revolves the shoe line around the player rather than trying to get the player to endorse and market the shoe. Sonny is ambitious and although he means well and he truly feels like this needs to be something he does, this is an opportunity that relies on a gamble. Instead of trying to sign three players and dividing the money Nike has allocated for the basketball department, Sonny wants to completely invest in Michael Jordan. Sonny is a passionate basketball fan although the movie doesn’t do the greatest job demonstrating that. Sure, Sonny is willing to go out to high school basketball games in hopes of endorsing some potential athletes but something about the vision he sees in Michael Jordan feels off or disingenuous. Maybe it was the decision to cast Matt Damon but his fervor belief in Michael is lackluster to say the least. As heroic as the movie portrays Sonny, I did like how Rob Strasser confronts Sonny about the potential disaster that could occur if things do not go as planned and the recklessness behind his decision. Sonny did go out on a whim and carelessly gambled everyone’s job in order to prove to himself that he has a purpose at Nike. Kind of egotistical but maybe already knowing the outcome of the debacle helps audiences side with Sonny.

Something I thoroughly enjoyed was the freshness of the angle the movie goes for. I was genuinely expecting another mild drama hidden under a biopic that was going to revolve around Michael Jordan. The decision to make Michael a less prevalent focus on screen was a good call. What makes the story behind the Air Jordan unique, was the way it changed interactions and compensation for athletes. In many ways, it was Viola Davis’ character, Deloris Jordan whom the movie really revolves around. It is through Deloris that Sonny is able to get through to Michael. Sonny understood the importance of connecting with the Jordan family. Unable to arrange a proper meeting with Michael, Sonny goes behind their agent David Falk’s (played by Chris Messina) back and in an unprofessional manner, flies out to visit the Jordans at their home. After finally arranging a meeting between all the parties involved, Sonny and his team prepare a marketing campaign video and after noticing how bored and unconvinced Michael seems, Sonny stops the video and has one of those ‘I’m in a drama and I’m about to say some inspiration ass shit’ speeches and essentially implores Michael to sign with Nike, citing his greatness and the possibility to truly surpass mortality by creating a legacy with the Air Jordan shoe line. And the rest is history.

All in all, for a movie originally intended for a release on Amazon Video for streaming, the direction Affleck took makes the movie a cut above other biopics. There is a comedic element throughout to even out the more dramatic scenes. Admittedly the dramatic moments do seem a bit hyperbolic. There is a lack of stakes. Despite the fact that audiences already know that Michael would end up signing with Nike, the lack of a central villain really helped strengthen the conflict. The movie becomes less about will Michael Jordan sign with Nike or not? And instead focuses on the importance of the relationship between the brand and the athlete. The conditions Deloris Jordan sets for her son emphasizes the greatness of Michael Jordan in a way no actor could ever portray. After all a shoe is just a shoe “…until my son steps into it.” The cast interacts with one another in an organic way and even the core characters at Nike, seem to have genuine interactions that feel realistic and accurate for the most part. Affleck’s character’s internal turmoil between trying to believe in Sonny and stay true to who he was during Nike’s start-up days and trying to be a CEO who needs to appease Board members was another good decision. It helps construct his presence in a way that isn’t entirely antagonistic but adds pressure. For the most part, as interesting as the concept was on paper, it seemed to have fallen flat. Certain embellishments seem outlandish and at times it feels like the movie tries to heavily over-romanticize the shoe. At it’s core, it’s a story behind the creation of a shoe. Yet, sometimes the movie leans into ideas of greatness and immortality too much.