REVIEW: ‘AIR’ Captures A Legend Beyond A Moment

The 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival was filled with biopics that said AIR managed to stand out thanks to its endearingly humorous cast and unique take on an icon. Written and directed by Ben Affleck, AIR tells the unbelievable story of how the “worst” basketball shoe company signed the rookie who would be the greatest of all time and changed the face of athletic deals and culture with the creation of Air Jordans.

When it comes to biopics, I have a hard time watching how a billion-dollar company came to make its loads of money. But for some reason, AIR manages to capture the human element. In AIR, Affleck takes the time to map out just how bad Nike is doing as a company in 1984, at least when it comes to its basketball division. Sure, Nike can sell running shoes, but against Converse and Adidas in the 80s, they were negligible in basketball. Knowing this, Sonny Vaccaro risked it all to try and sign Michael Jordan, a rookie he believed in who didn’t want to sign with the swoosh.

AIR works because of its cast. What could have been a retelling of events is instead an endearingly funny story aware of how absurd choices led to the biggest deal in Nike’s history. This isn’t to say that the film doesn’t take itself seriously; it does. The film is a comedy that thrives in how it directly confronts the industry, with Sonny butting heads with different obstacles in his way. Whether it’s against his VP of marketing Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman), who wants to take the safe path, his advisor and senior Howard White (Chris Tucker), the only one to take the risk immediately, his CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck), who tries to maintain his entrepreneur mentality when being pushed by a new board of directors, or Jordan’s abrasive agent David Falk (Chris Messina), Damon’s Sonny plays against each of them fantastically. When the film is focused on business, it leads to comedy that can only come from that angle.

That said, AIR also manages to take time to be heartfelt when Sonny interacts with Deloris Jordan. In these moments, the film isn’t about a business deal, even when it’s being negotiated. Instead, it is just about Michael Jordan. For Sonny, it’s about who he thinks Jordan will become on the court, and for Deloris, it’s about who she knows her son will be. For Deloris, she isn’t just Michael’s mom; she is his advocate and the reason why Nike agrees to the game-changing terms to pay a percentage of sales to its athlete. Deloris is a soft-spoken force that has her son’s interest at the core every time she is on screen. Soft but uncompromising, Deloris is the guiding force behind everything. This balance is why AIR is more than just a biopic but a comedic and charming capture of a moment in time that shaped culture.

AIR is Affleck’s best work as a film director and writer due largely to how he tackles the subject, situates it in a historical moment, and does so with just enough dramatization. Additionally, the choice to not have Michael Jordan on screen as a character but instead, this specter of greatness shown only in archival footage of games and news clips is a choice that pays off in spades. When they discuss Jordan in the film, he is treated with reverence and respect, even as a rookie, that Jordan is looked at with today. It allows the film to present Michael Jordan as a legend, even at his beginning, who plays with the audience and uses their knowledge of the present to inform the stakes of the past.

With smart choices, hilarious dialogue, and a surprising amount of heart, AIR is more than the simple story it tells. I wasn’t sure if this film would be for me, but it is. Affleck’s choices, from cast and direction to writing, all work perfectly together to bring to life a biopic that captures the importance of a legend as much as a sum of events.

AIR is streaming now on Prime Video as a Prime Orginal Film.