Air: Perfect Reproduction of the Legend

Release Date：Apr/5/2023

Genre：Drama

Director：Ben Affleck

Cast：Ben Affleck、Viola Davis、Matt Damon、Jason Bateman、Gustaf Skarsgård、Chris Messina

Viola's Rating：8.5

Matt Damon is in need of rescue once again, but this time, he isn’t stranded, but facing the threat of being fired if he can’t get a contract signed in Oscar winning director, his good friend, Ben Affleck’s latest feature film Air.

Not a biographical film on the legendary former professional basketball player, Michael Jordan, Air follows the history of shoe Salesman Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball.

As one of the best flicks so far this year, Air demonstrates the friendship between Affleck and Damon with their appealing screen rapport. They won Best Writing with Good Will Hunting at the Oscars in 1997, and this is their 20th collaboration. Within the motion picture itself, their characters Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) and Sonny also share an amazing friendship, which led to the success of Nike.

In the beginning of Air, Sonny is introduced as someone who likes to gamble, and although he still loses, he wins from time to time, which is already luckier than most people. Before the signature shoe Air Jordan came to life, Nike’s market share was less than Adidas and Converse. Therefore, what’s displayed in the movie is a gamble as a whole, and since it’s adapted from the true story, we all know that Sonny won this bet.

Jordan broke a bunch of rules in the shoe-selling industry, and it’s all because of his mom, Deloris Jordan, who plays a critical role in his life and in Air. The picture is more about her than about Jordan. Played by the Oscar-winning actress, Viola Davis, Deloris presents an irresistible charisma and wisdom as the very first person in the world to believe in Michael Jordan.

Besides Deloris’ belief and support, Sonny’s dedication, determination and scouting vision, Air also shows the time and effort the team in Nike put into making this pursuit a reality, including the branding, marketing, shoe design, etc. With all these characters and elements, Affleck managed to tell a well-knitted, heart-warming story without confusing his audience. 

Since Air is based on a true story, Nike aficionados will find it interesting to learn a big number of anecdotes and trivia in the feature film. All the characters use real names, and the 10 principles of Nike keep being brought up, even the story behind the signature logo and slogan are introduced.

Even though Michael Jordan’s face’s not even shown in Air, it doesn’t reduce how brilliant the film is because it’s about the story of the creation of Air Jordan, and the rest is history. With a crowd-pleasing storyline, an impressive ensemble and an inspiring twist, Air is no doubt one of the best flicks this year.

Picture Credit: IMDb