[FILM REVIEW] AIR Review (2023)
Summary: Follows the history of sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan.
Year: 2023
Cinema Release Dates: 5th April 2023 (Australia), 5th April 2023 (Thailand), 5th April 2023 (UK), 5th April 2023 (USA)
VOD Release Dates: Out now in all territories
Country: USA
Director: Ben Affleck
Screenwriter: Alex Convery
Cast: Ben Affleck (Phil Knight), Jason Bateman (Rob Strasser), Gabrielle Bourne (Tiffany), Dan Buctinsky (Richard), Jeff Cook (Jeff), Jackson Damon (Stan), Matt Damon (Sonny Vaccaro), Viola Davis (Deloris Jordan), Jessica Green (Katrina Sainz), Joel Gretsch (John O’Neill), Andy Hirsch (Robinson), Al Madrigal (Tim), Matthew Maher (Peter Moore), Chris Messina (David Falk), Jay Mohr (John Fisher), Michael O’Neil (Joe Dean), Tom Papa (Stu Inman), Mackenzie Rayne (Susan), Gustaf Skarsgard (Horst Dassler), Billy Smith (Bill), Albert Stroth (Al), Barbara Sukowa (Kathe Dassler), Julius Tennon (James Jordan), Chris Tucker (Howard White), Marlon Wayans (George Raveling), Damian Delano Young (Michael Jordan)
Running Time: 111 minutes
Classification: M (Australia), TBC (Thailand), 15 (UK), R (USA)
AIR REVIEWS
David Griffiths’s Air Review
Bateman, Affleck and Damon!!! With a cast list like that there is no way you can go into Air and not expect some brilliant performances. Add that to my love of NBA basketball and not surprisingly I was excited about this film – but did I expect to be now saying it is one of the best films of the year? No, I most certainly did not.
Air sees Ben Affleck step away from his staple of directing crime thrillers but that doesn’t mean a reduction in his quality. No, once again Affleck manages to bring suspense and drama to the fore – and yes I am talking about a movie that largely centres around how NBA legend Michael Jordan’s relationship began with the brand that made him a household name – Nike.
Technically the film centres around the core team at Nike way back in 1984. There is company founder and CEO Phil Knight (Affleck), Nike’s Head Of Basketball Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman – Horrible Bosses) and recruiter Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon – The Bourne Identity) and together they have been charged with saving Nike’s Basketball Department.
See back in 1984 Nike was not the company that it is today. Converse was the official shoe of the NBA while Adidas was the shoe the kids on the streets were wearing. Nike was the shoe that runners wanted to wear but were considered a joke amongst basketballers. With the Board of Directors are ready to give up on basketball Knight and Strasser demands that Vaccaro sign someone that will keep them in business. Vaccaro picks an under-rated rookie named Michael Jordan who has no interest in Nike at all.
Despite my love of all things NBA I was sceptical going into Air. Would this be a walking billboard for Nike disguised as a film? How can a story that is basically about product endorsement hold my interest for 2 hours? The answer turned out to be put an amazing cast together and then bring in one of the finest directors of our generation to put his personal touch on it.
I was surprised to learn that screenwriter Alex Convery was a rookie. His screenplay here reads like Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Men – it is largely dialogue driven but builds a suspense that had me hanging on every word. Powerful scenes between Damon and Bateman drip with human emotion while I found every scene Damon shares with Viola Davis (The Help) true well-written, cinematic masterpieces.
There is no doubt my love for the NBA enhanced my viewing experience with Air. When names like Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley and John Stockton are thrown around the Nike offices it did help that as a fan I knew about their personalities, weaknesses and strengths they had. And I doubt non-NBA fans will get the true meaning of things like Larry Bird is Converse but Michael Jordan will be Nike – trust me it was an important. Having said that though the strength of this film is that there is enough in the plot to hold the interest of non-basketball fans – after all the at the root of this film is the relatable story of a man working hard to save his career and livelihood.
The other thing I loved about Air was the fact that Affleck has made this film a love letter to the 1980s. From the fashion through to the video games we were playing Affleck incorporates it all subtly enough to be enjoyed but without over-saturating to the film. Then of course there is the amazing 80s soundtrack that I will confess was downloaded onto my phone the very moment I left the cinema.
What will stay with me the most about Air though is the power of the screenplay and the performances it helps generate. Matt Damon and Jason Bateman are in Oscar winning form with their performances while Viola Davis packs an amazing amount of power into her smaller role. She is truly amazing in the role of Jordan’s mother and her scenes with Damon are some of the most powerful I will see in cinemas this year.
I still can’t believe how much I loved this film. This film could have been a complete train-wreck especially at a time when audiences are wary of corporate greed. Instead Alex Convery and Ben Affleck have created a powerful and dramatic film that at times feels like it was written for the stage. Air has one of the best screenplays I have seen in a long time and is only lifted further by electric performances by Davis, Damon and co. I can’t wait to see it again.
David’s rating Out Of 5
Kyle McGrath’s Air Review
Kyle’s rating Out Of 5
Average Subculture rating Out Of 5
Other Air Reviews
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