Air is the first film in seven years to bring Ben Affleck back to the director’s chair and what a way to return! Loaded with a star-studded cast consisting of Affleck, Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Matthew Maher, Chris Tucker and Viola Davis, Air transforms it’s cast entirely into their proposed characters, never leaping out the film as it flows effortlessly to convey the process of how one shoe company took a bold shot at a sponsorship and wound up becoming one of the best known brands in the process. 

 

Alex Convery makes his screenwriting debut, creating a phenomenal vision that’s more Aaron Sorkin than even Sorkin has been in recent years. The dialogue is kinetic and mesmerizing as the portrayals of the true people behind the scenes of this monumental deal are offered their individual time in the spotlight. While as a whole, the credit goes to Nike for being able to partner with Michael Jordan, it was truly a team effort led by Sonny Vaccaro. This is one story that shouldn’t be inspirational because it’s about big corporations becoming what they are and unlike The Founder, which offered a poor light on the “known” founder of McDonalds, Air offers a light back to the 90s where Nike was a struggling brand that had someone at the helm that still cared about taking chances on the company and his employees. 

 

Air is dialogue based, it’s not about the sport of basketball, in fact Michael Jordan is never seen properly in the film beyond clips. The film is about the art of conversation and the pieces of the puzzle to get from a dead end to the open road. It’s about the power of internal endurance and understanding when you have the potential to do something really monumental in the life of yourself and the people around you. It may seem like a movie just about a show company trying to find their star to sell more shoes, but it’s more than just that; it’s about hard work and perseverance in moments of uncertainty. Without Matt Damon’s clear motivation as Sonny, the film wouldn’t be as effective or encouraging as it winds up being. Air is one of the easiest watches of the year and without a doubt one of the best.