Air movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Air

The sports drama was going to be released exclusively on Amazon Prime, but after enthusiastic test screens, they decided to also release it in select theaters for a short time.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 51 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

The film shows the history of Sonny Vaccaro, a shoe salesman who led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball: Michael Jordan.

The movie was directed by Ben Affleck with some writing help by Matt Damon and Alex Convery.

THINGS I LIKED:

The inspirational movie was directed by Ben Affleck, who also stars in it. What a career he has had so far and he just barely turned 50! He’s a really good actor, director, and storyteller. Congrats and kudos to him!
Michael Jordan wasn’t directly involved with the movie; however, Ben Affleck consulted with him several times to ensure the story was told accurately. Michael Jordan had two special requests: that Viola Davis play his mother and that Howard White be included in the movie.
I love it that Ben Affleck included his long-time buddy, Matt Damon, in the movie. They both also serve as producers of the movie. Matt Damon actually wore a fat suit for this role as Sonny Vaccaro, mostly to give him a big belly.
Both Ben Affleck and Matt Damon spent quite a bit of time rewriting the original screenplay, but due to some technical rules by the WGA, they weren’t given writing credits on the film. Boo! This is their 20^th movie collaboration together!
Viola Davis and Julius Tennon, who are actually married in real life, play Michael Jordan’s parents.
The fantastic cast includes 3 Academy Award winners: Viola Davis, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck! It also includes Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Gustaf Skarsgard, Marlon Wayans, and Chris Tucker. Everyone did an excellent job in their roles.
The movie credits open with a quick download of all of the trending things that were happening in the 1980s, long before the word “trending” was a thing, by the way.
Michael Jordan wore two different numbers on his jerseys during his career: 45 & 23, so this movie, Air, was released on 4/5/23. Sweet!
The fun soundtrack really took me back to the 80s. Ben Affleck wanted to use even more epic songs of the day but buying rights would have put him over budget.
Everything is about branding these days. This movie illustrates how a successful company took it to another whole level! I’m always fascinated to learn how legends are made and what contributed to a successful company or marketing campaign.
Lots of fun banter between characters. It’s the dialogue that drives the story.
We get to see photos and images of all the real people involved in the true story at the end of the movie. We also get to see some of Michael Jordan’s magical moments on the court.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It’s kind of odd that Michel Jordan or the character who plays him isn’t even in the script! We only see Michael Jordan from behind in the movie.
Honestly, it felt like a giant infomercial to buy Air Jordan shoes.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Some profanity and F-bombs
Crude conversations

THEMES:

Vision
Persistence
Capitalism
Building relationships for business

INTERESTING LINES:

“The illusion is that the finish line is the destination. The act is actually the destination.” – Phil Knight (Ben Affleck)
“Sometimes, the most you can do is all you can do.” – Phil Knight (Ben Affleck)
“A shoe is just a shoe until someone steps into it and then it has meaning.” – Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon)
“You’re remembered for the rules you break.” – Phil Knight (Ben Affleck)
“I don’t have friends. I have clients.” – David Falk (Chris Messina)