Director Ben Affleck’s ‘Air’ Flies High and is a Slam-Dunk of a Movie!
Ben Affleck delivers an entertaining and inspiring story, anchored by fantastic performances from Matt Damon, Chris Tucker, Jason Bateman and Viola Davis.
Ben Affleck as Phil Knight in 'Air.' Photo: Ana Carballos. © Amazon Content Servoces LLC.
Opening in theaters on April 5th before eventually streaming on Prime Video is the new biographical sports comedy ‘Air’ from Academy Award winning actor/writer/director/producer Ben Affleck (‘Good Will Hunting,’ ‘Argo’).
What is the new movie ‘Air’ about?
‘Air’ follows the true story of the rise of Nike and chronicles the upstart shoe company’s attempt to sign NBA rookie Michael Jordan to a sneaker deal. Nike employee Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) believes the only way to save the fledgling company is to invest everything in a rookie who’s never stepped foot on a professional court, who might just become the greatest player of all time. Against the wishes of Nike owner Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) and Jordan’s agent David Falk (Chris Messina), Vaccaro travels to North Carolina to meet Jordan’s mother Deloris (Viola Davis) in person and desperately tries to convince her to influence her son to sign with Nike.
Who is in the cast of ‘Air?’
‘Air’ stars Oscar winner Matt Damon (‘The Martian,’ ‘The Bourne Identity’) as Sonny Vaccaro, Ben Affleck (‘The Town,’ ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’) as Phil Knight, Jason Bateman (‘Juno’) as Rob Strasser, Marlon Wayans (‘Requiem for a Dream’) as George Raveling, Chris Messina (‘Birds of Prey’) as David Falk, Chris Tucker (‘Silver Linings Playbook’) as Howard White, Matthew Maher (‘Captain Marvel’) as Peter Moore, Julius Tennon (‘Dazed and Confused’) as James R. Jordan Sr., and Oscar winner Viola Davis (‘Fences,’ ‘The Woman King’) as Deloris Jordan.
Initial Thoughts
The result is an extremely entertaining and inspiring movie about believing in yourself, which has a similar humorous tone to ‘Argo,’ but is also reminiscent of ‘Moneyball’ and ‘Jerry Maguire.’ Affleck keeps the story suspenseful, even though we know how it ends, and the film is anchored by fantastic performances from Damon, Tucker, Bateman, Messina, and Davis.
Director Ben Affleck on the set of 'Air.' Photo: Ana Carballos. © Amazon Content Servoces LLC.
Story and Direction
For those that don’t know, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck grew up together in Boston and broke into Hollywood when they co-starred and co-wrote ‘Good Will Hunting,’ which earned them both Oscars for Best Original Screenplay. With the exception of a few appearances together such as Kevin Smith’s ‘Dogma,’ the two actors went their separate ways professionally, both becoming movies stars in their own right. But when Affleck’s acting career began to stumble, he went behind the camera to direct ‘Gone Baby Gone,’ ‘The Town,’ and ‘Argo,’ which won an Oscar for Best Picture and resurrected his career.
While their appearance in Ridley Scott’s ‘The Last Duel,’ which they also co-wrote, marked their first big screen collaboration in decades, ‘Air’ marks the first time Affleck has ever directed his childhood friend. Since the movie is based on a well-known true story, we all know the outcome, but somehow Affleck still adds suspense to the film and keeps the audience engaged the entire time. Set in the 80s, Affleck relies heavily on nostalgia, which in a way fuels the movie. He sets the tone during the first frame of the movie when you hear Dire Straits’ ‘Money is for Nothing’ and you see a montage of the 80’s greatest pop culture moments. In fact, the 80’s soundtrack is well chosen and adds to the ultimate enjoyment of the film.
The film touches on themes of believing in yourself, even when no one else will, but also emphasizes the importance of Mothers and the sacrifice they all make for their children. Affleck also wisely made the choice not to cast an actor to play Jordan himself, which for the most part works really well but does become slightly distracting in the later scenes, but more on that later.
Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro in 'Air.' Photo: Ana Carballosa. © Amazon Content Services LLC.
Related Article: 10 Things We Learned at the ’Air’ Press Conference with Cast and Crew
Damon and Affleck’s Performances
Affleck is definitely the comic relief in the movie, playing Nike founder Phil Knight as a bit of a buffoon, with his over-sized Oakley sunglasses and fluorescent colored tracksuits. Whether the portrayal is accurate to real-life events or not, it is entertaining and works for the tone of the film. It’s also a pleasure to see Affleck and Damon share the frame again, almost 30 years after ‘Good Will Hunting.’ Vaccaro and Knight, while friendly, are at odds through most of the movie, and the scenes crackle when the two actors go at it.
Matt Damon, who physically transformed for the role gaining weight, gives a very good performance and anchors the movie, especially when more colorful characters like Knight, David Falk and Howard White are on screen. However, Damon never really gets submersed in the role, as you always realize you are watching Matt Damon play a character. In contrast, you believe Chris Messina, Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, Viola Davis, and even Affleck to a degree are their characters, but Damon never quite achieves that level.
Don’t get me wrong, Damon’s still very believable in the role and definitely does the heavy lifting carrying the narrative of the movie, but I never really got a sense of who Sonny Vaccaro was, other than a gambler willing to risk everything. But Damon brings all of his own charm and personality to the role, which works, especially in the tender scenes with Davis’ Deloris Jordan, and the two create a sweet bond that is pivotal to the outcome of the story.
(L to R) Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan and Julius Tennon as James Jordan in 'Air.' Photo: Ana Carballos. © Amazon Content Servoces LLC.
Viola Davis as Michael Jordan’s Mom
According to Affleck, Michael Jordan had three requests to give his blessing to this production, and top of his list was that Oscar winner Viola Davis must play his mother, and I can’t think of better casting. Davis oozes gravitas and commands every scene she is in, creating a powerful presence as Deloris Jordan. Because Michael Jordan is a phantom presence in the movie, Davis’ character becomes the focal point of the story, and the actress commands her scenes with ease. The character is talked about a lot up to the point we meet her halfway through the movie, and the actress’s first appearance on screen does not disappoint.
Davis has great chemistry with Damon, and you get the feeling that Jordan is impressed with Sonny, and again, the bond they form is beautiful and really pays off in the end. Also fun, is that Davis’ real life husband Julius Tennon plays her onscreen husband, Michael’s late father, James R. Jordan Sr. While a small role, Tennon is very memorable in the part and of course as you would expect, has great chemistry with Davis. Jordan Sr. was a very affable fellow, and Tennon’s giant smile fits the character perfectly. You understand from the first moment you see him that he knows his wife is the boss, not Michael, and in turn, the other characters and we the audience understand that important point very quickly too.
(L to R) Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro and Chris Tucker as Howard White in 'Air.' Photo: Ana Carballos. © Amazon Content Servoces LLC.
Supporting Cast
The supporting cast is rich with terrific characters and performances. Remember when I mentioned Jordan had three requests for Affleck, the second one was that he create a part for George Raveling, who was Jordan’s Olympic coach and pivotal to him taking the Nike deal. Luckily, he was best friends with Vaccaro in real life, so it made sense for the character to reach out to him during the film. While its only one scene, Marlon Wayans is impressive as Raveling in a bar sequence giving advice to Vaccaro. Wayans has good chemistry with Damon, looking like they truly are old friends and being quite funny, in moments that were very likely improvised.
Jordan’s third request was a role for Howard White, vice president of Nike’s Jordan Brand and another person pivotal in Jordan’s signing with Nike. Chris Tucker plays White with absolute charm and enthusiasm as only Tucker can. He’s really great in the role, very funny, and has a strong chemistry with Damon, as White is presented as a mentor to Vaccaro.
Also great opposite Damon is actor Chris Messina who plays Jordan’s agent David Falk. Messina plays the agent as a cross between Buddy Ackerman in ‘Swimming with Sharks’ and the title character from ‘Jerry Maguire.’ He’s loud, obnoxious, rude and absolutely hilarious when screaming at Damon over the phone, and the two actors have really fun scenes together.
Finally, beloved actor Jason Bateman gives one of his best performances as Nike publicist Rob Strasser. Bateman brings his signature witty and sometimes sarcastic attitude to the character, which works well, but it’s his few dramatic scenes that are really impressive. The actor has a monologue near the end that her recites beautifully and is the motivating factor for Damon’s character in the final moments. It’s a great showcase role for Bateman, and the actor also has very good chemistry with Damon.
Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser in 'Air.' Photo: Ana Carballos. © Amazon Content Servoces LLC.
Who Plays Michael Jordan in the movie ‘Air?’
Nobody, well, kind of. As previously mentioned, Affleck did not cast an actor to play Michael Jordan, but he does have a stand-in for Jordan in a few scenes using over the shoulder and obscured shots to give the idea of his presence. This was absolutely the correct choice as casting an actor to play the GOAT (Sorry LeBron!), would have been too distracting. That being said, not casting an actor to play Jordan was also distracting, so really there was no good choice.
Not showing Jordan and making his parents the focal point makes sense and works up until the end. But by the time we are in the final scenes, where Jordan and his parents finally meet with Nike, it's odd that they are spending so much time focusing on Deloris and basically ignoring Michael. I know what Affleck was going for, but I think it would have been better if they built on the anticipation to see Michael, which they basically do, and then finally show him, briefly, in the final scene, casting a look-a-like actor but perhaps with no dialogue. It would seem like a better payoff.
Not to mention that some of the angles in which Affleck shoots the stand-in playing Michael to obscure him also seem odd in the context of the rest of the movie which is shot more traditionally. Ultimately, none of this really hurts the movie as a whole, and the real Jordan is actually seen throughout the movie in plenty of archival footage.
Final Thoughts
In the end, ‘Air’ is a really funny, entertaining, and inspiring movie that is extremely interesting and suspenseful, even if you already know the history of Air Jordan. Affleck is a very gifted filmmaker and storyteller, and ‘Air’ is one of his best. It’s super fun and nostalgic to see Affleck and Damon together again onscreen, and they are surrounded by a cast of wonderful performances from the likes of Davis, Bateman, Messina, and Tucker.
‘Air’ receives 9 out of 10 stars.
(L to R) Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro and Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan in 'Air.' Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Studios. © Amazon Content Services LLC.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Air:'
- 'Space Jam' (1996)
- 'Jerry Maguire' (1996)
- ‘Good Will Hunting' (1998)
- 'Dogma' (1999)
- ‘Gone Baby Gone' (2007)
- ‘The Town' (2010)
- 'Moneyball' (2011)
- 'Argo' (2012)
- 'Live by Night' (2017)
- 'The Last Duel' (2021)
Buy Tickets: 'Air' Movie Showtimes
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‘Air’ is produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber, and Jason Michael Berman. It is set to release exclusive in theaters on April 5, 2023.
