REVIEW: Ben Affleck’s “Air” is Solid, Closes Out SXSW with a Buzzer Beater

If you’re looking for a movie about Michael Jordan, this isn’t it. Instead, Air is a story of how one of the best athletes of all time grew into a massive brand.

Ben Affleck is back in the director’s chair, but has also seated himself in the cast playing Nike CEO, Phil Knight. Opposite of him is his long time pal, Matt Damon, playing Sonny Vaccaro, the man who took a big gamble on 18-year old rookie, Michael Jordan. The first screening was held at SXSW in Austin, Texas to close out the film festival and was met with a standing ovation at its conclusion.

The film opens with a montage that instantly propels us back to 1984. If we’re being honest, the people today who make up most of Jordan’s sales were born in the 90’s. So it’s safe to say this intro was a great way to show the youngsters what the times were like when their favorite brand was crafted.

Within minutes, we are introduced to Howard White, played by the hilarious Chris Tucker. The entire audience was in tears laughing during his scenes, so it’s safe to say he never lost his ability to charm a crowd. He immediately commands the screen, leaving some to forget his absence in films lately (Tucker’s last role was 7 years ago in Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk). Rounding out the rest of the all-star cast is Jason Bateman as the VP of marketing, Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as Michael’s agent, and the talented Viola Davis as Jordan’s mother, Deloris Jordan.

What allows you to really appreciate Air is knowing that Affleck took the time to speak with MJ himself to get his approval. Perhaps one of the most precious things about Davis being casted was that Jordan requested her to portray his mom in the flick. “It has to be Viola Davis,” he tells Affleck. When watching, you are able to accept what you’re seeing because it has Jordan’s approval behind it, making the story more authentic. Damon and Affleck’s chemistry is as alive as ever as their characters are often going back and forth, disagreeing quite often. Their banter instantly reminded me of one particular scene in Dogma where they are arguing in a parking garage.

At the heart of the film is the tale of how a mother undoubtedly believed in her son’s greatness. Vaccaro fought endlessly to bring Jordan on to Nike, although they were the rookie’s third choice behind Adidas and Converse. Damon and Davis deliver some powerful scenes when they ultimately discuss the agreement that changed the shoe game forever. At the time, athletes were only given a contracted price that was to be paid out at one time or annually. However, Deloris negotiated to have her son receive a percentage of every sale on any product that had the Jordan brand. This had never been done before and was such a wild concept, but Vaccaro and Knight believed in Jordan’s potential and took a gamble that would pay off in ways they never could have imagined. She explains, “A shoe is just a shoe until my son steps into it.” If the Jordan’s had settled for the initial offer, they would have only been paid $250,000. Today, the Jordan brand brings in an average of $400 million a year.

While the story is great at hand, one can’t help but appreciate Affleck’s beautiful directing. The aerial shots help give a nice visual of the Nike headquarters and the inclusion of so much 80’s material delivers pure nostalgia. His decision to not have an actor portray Jordan was genius. Why? Because then audiences would be distracted from the purpose of the film; this isn’t meant to be a biopic, this is a story of the rise of a beloved brand. Although there is a young man playing the rookie in the film, Damian Young, we never see his face nor hear him speak. His likeness was used to purely express that he was present during these business meetings. Kudos to Affleck for this choice, because social media tends to overanalyze casting choices. It’s important to point out that Damon shines in a powerful monologue that was so great, you’d believe anything he was trying to sell you. His delivery was so convincing and passionate, you’d think it was Matt Damon himself that was advocating for this Nike/Jordan union.

We are still witnessing the effects of this union to this day. Sonny went on to play a big role in advocating for college athletes to get paid for commercial use of their likeness. Air is undoubtedly set to join the ranks as one of the greatest sports movies to date. In a world where Jordan shoes are such a staple for the culture, there was no better time than now for this story to be told. As a sneaker head myself, I got chills when they unveiled the final design for the first pair of shoes, known in the community as Chicago 1’s.  Besides having a star studded cast, everything was so well put together that you can’t help but pat Affleck on the back for this gift of a film. There’s no doubt that he has well-deserved hit on his hands and is shaping into one of the best actors-turned-directors that’ve we’ve seen.

Air slam dunks into theaters April 5th. Watch the trailer below!