Air
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 111 minutes / 1.85 hours
As a child of the 90s, I never gave much thought to Nike shoes. They were always this popular brand that—in my child-like brain—would make me run faster and jump higher. I had no idea that the singular reason they were so ubiquitous in my childhood came down to one incredibly risky decision to bet the entire company’s future on a single athlete. That this athlete was Michael Jordan is what made this deal as historic as it was. Air (2023) does a great job of giving the audience a look behind that fateful curtain.
It’s fascinating to me how a third-tier company like Nike used to be below shoe producers like Adidas and Converse. I also had no idea these other companies had the foreign commitment to excellence (Adidas) or star power (Converse) to place them above a company mostly known for jogging activewear. Despite these obvious choices, Air really tells the story of advocacy. Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) had a gambling addiction, but his experience with big payoffs made him see Jordan’s potential. Of course, nobody saw Michael Jordan’s potential more than his mother, Deloris (Viola Davis).
There’s a lot to recommend Air. It hits that “sports underdog” trope in an interesting way. The plot buildup was riveting—especially when the team came up against problems (like shoe design standards). The weird problem I have with this movie has to do with its all-star cast. These actors have proven to be excellent in their craft in other films. Here, though, it feels a bit distracting to have all these big names together because I don’t see them as the characters they’re playing. Instead, I just see Ben Affleck and Jason Bateman having a conversation with Matt Damon. I see Viola Davis being Viola Davis. Still, despite this odd qualm, I still think Air is a good watch.
A star-studded look at a risky Nike decision, I give Air 4.0 stars out of 5.
