Air

2023

R

It has been quite a while since my last movie review, so let’s do another one. I watched this movie a couple weeks ago and I wanted to give my thoughts on it. With Michael Jordan being in the news over the last week for selling his shares of the Charlotte Hornets, I thought I would release this review. The film had pretty consistent high ratings and I was interested in a few things with it. Did it live up to the hype of the high ratings? Who would portray Michael Jordan, and would his role be prominent? Could this be an Oscar-worthy Best Picture nominee? Those things were answered, and I will share them later on, but for now, let’s dive in.

The year is 1984 and the shoe and apparel powerhouse, Nike, is having a lot of success, but in the basketball world, nobody wants to wear their stuff. Basketball is the trendiest sport in the world at the time, but Nike’s basketball division is on the brink of closure. The 1984 NBA Draft Class is loaded with talent, but they have to pick the right athletes to represent their brand to ensure that their division stays employed. The Marketing VP, Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) and the CEO, Phil Knight (Ben Affleck), give Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) the task of finding the athletes to lead Nike into basketball prominence. After mulling over a couple emerging rookies, Sonny decides that Nike should put all of their basketball marketing budget on one player, Michael Jordan. Jordan hasn’t signed a deal anywhere yet, but they believe Nike to be lagging behind Adidas and Converse, in that order. Pressure rises when the marketing department is given the go-ahead to pursue Jordan, especially when Sonny goes against the orders of Jordan’s agent and pops in on Jordan’s parents, Deloris (Viola Davis) and James (Julius Tennon) in Wilmington. Then we see a suspense-filled ride of Nike hanging on by a thread of hope that they may land their guy.

I didn’t want to dive too deep into the synopsis, because it is a fairly new movie. Not that any sports fan doesn’t know what brand Jordan is associated with, but the movie itself has twist and turns that make it unique, so I didn’t want to spoil too much. The film was filled with a star-studded cast. A lot of times, when the cast is so jam-packed with stars, you never know what kind of quality it is going to be. Nevertheless, I was interested to check it out. The main focus is on Michael Jordan, but he never is actually featured, which is an interesting concept. The film gives a look at the other side of the Nike deal. Nobody ever talks about the guys behind the deal and this film did just that. Matt Damon’s character is the most featured of the bunch. The film suggests that Sonny had the most to lose with him sticking his neck out for the pursuit of Michael Jordan. The whole basketball department could’ve been done for without his suggestions and taking charge, but it seems like the rest of Nike would’ve been just fine. Ben Affleck playing the role of Phil Knight was a near perfect casting. I don’t think they could have found a better person for that role. ”They” didn’t have to look too far as Ben Affleck directed the film. I have to say, he knocked that out of the park as well. All actors in the film did a great job, but I think Viola Davis really shined. Her portrayal of Michael Jordan’s mother was phenomenal.

Let me answer the questions that I posed in the intro. Did it live up to the hype? I think it did. It was an interesting movie and even though I knew the outcome of the film, it didn’t deter me from finding it fun to watch. Do I think it will be an Award-Winning film? Maybe, but probably not. It is a very good watch though. My only negative with this film is the fact that you can't own it. There is no physical Blu Ray or DVD for this movie. The only way that you can watch it is on Amazon Prime Video. It is an Amazon exclusive and the film was made by Amazon Studios, so it makes sense, but my goodness… Release the freaking movie on a disc.

With all of that being said, is it worth a watch? Definitely. I saw some people write reviews saying that they don’t follow sports and they found it enjoyable. I wouldn't call it a sports film, exactly, but the theme of the movie does revolve around sports and let’s face it, you’d have to be living under a rock to not know who Michael Jordan is and not know the Nike brand. Considering this, anyone can find an association with the film even if you don’t keep up with sports. Give it a watch and see what you think, but I don’t think you will dislike it. As far as the R rating is concerned. In my opinion, it is a PG-13 movie with more profanity than usual.

GRADE: 4.1/5

Yacs

Movie Review: Air

GRADE: 4.1/5