Air movie review: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon sports drama is an absolute triumph

Air is not a sports drama in the sense that there are thrilling games where the underdog emerges victorious against all odds. But it is a sports drama of a kind, and here an underdog does conquer its rivals against seemingly insurmountable odds. Only, there is no actual game involved. This story is about what happens behind the scenes. Here, the battle takes place in the boardrooms, negotiation tables, and personal relationships that shape the destiny of a game-changing product. In the film, to be released by Amazon Prime Video on Friday, May 12 in India, screenwriter Alex Convery and director-actor Ben Affleck tell the story of Nike's Air Jordans, a basketball shoe line that has transcended its humble beginnings to become a global phenomenon.

Also Read: Ben Affleck's Air chronicles rise of Air Jordans, shoes that revitalised Nike

I have long believed that Affleck should really direct more movies. As much a fan I am of him as an actor, he just might be better as a director. For while the film is an undeniable celebration of Nike and Air Jordans and many might see it as a feature-length advertisement — which understandably might put many of you off — it is a superbly-made film featuring exceptional performances by a cast of highly talented actors.

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It's 1984. Adidas and Converse dominatethe market for basketball shoes. Nike, then a comparatively minor player, is lagging behind and as a result, the entire segment is on the verge of being shut down. A resourceful talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) is tasked by CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) to make deals with basketball stars — seeing as how the sport was growing in popularity — to bump up sales and save the floundering division.

Instead of recruiting three players to sell the shoes, which Knight wants and expects to maximise profit, Vaccaro is more of an out-of-the-box thinker. His hawk-like gaze is fixated upon a young Michael Jordan, a rising star who would go on to etch his name in the annals of greatness as the pinnacle of his game. In short, Vaccaro wants his boss to allot the entire budget to this player. This is a huge gamble, as while Jordan is clearly talented as Vaccaro realises after watching recordings, he is also totally untested on the professional stage. As we now know from the benefit of hindsight, this gamble paid off handsomely, catapulting Air Jordans to unprecedented heights and forever changing the landscape of athletic footwear.

But I digress. Jordan, however, did have too much love for Nike, preferring the more trendy and cool company that is Adidas. It is Vaccaro's job to convince Jordan, which at one point involves going behind him and his agent to talk to his parents Deloris Jordan (Viola Davis) and James R Jordan Sr (Julius Tennon). And Air Jordans are born.

For a film centring around a brand that has Jordan in it, Michael Jordan himself is hardly seen throughout the narrative. Actor Damian Delano Young does appear in a couple of crucial scenes as Jordan, but the face is never shown. This creative choice worked for me for Jordan, like any youngster, is bored by business meetings and dealings and it falls upon the shoulders of Deloris to decide.

Air is a great movie

Air is a splendid film. As already mentioned above in different words, it is an unapologetic celebration of corporate culture and brands. And yet, it is also a damn fun movie to watch. Populated by a great cast who seemingly are having the time of their lives (it certainly seems that way), it is peppered with fantastic performances and dialogue that flows naturally. The characters, although quite thinly drawn, feel like real people.

Damon bringshis old charm and determination to the role, reliably portraying Vaccaro's earnestness. Davis, as usual, is splendid in a supporting role. Even Affleck, appearing for only a few scenes, is very watchable. After his sojourn to superhero cinema, he clearly is enjoying his time in these smaller-scale movies.

His self-assured direction also deserves praise. The decade is rendered faithfully without too many stylised visuals we have seen in movies sharing the setting of late (I am looking at you, Wonder Woman 1984). Most of the major scenes are set indoors, and the attention to detail there is remarkable.

The real star of the movie for me, however, is Convery, whose script was on the Black List (a yearly list of liked but unproduced screenplays) and was eventually picked by the good people at Amazon. His script has everything, be it understated humour, solid dialogue, and a plot that extracts a lot of tension out of a story whose conclusion has been widely known for decades. It takes great skill to create suspense when the outcome is already familiar, but Convery achieves this feat with remarkable finesse.

Whether you're a fan of sports dramas or simply enjoy a well-crafted film, do not miss Air.

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