Movie Review: Air
There's a specific intersection of sports and business that's especially fun to watch, when done well. Moneyball is a perfect example. I rewatched it a few weeks ago and it holds up as a masterpiece.
The movie I watched today, Air, may join that shortlist. It tells the story of the Air Jordan basketball shoes. In some ways, it's actually a movie about Michael Jordan, who hardly features in it. It's more about the idea of Jordan as we know him from the legacy of his playing days, which, to a select few, was evident even before he began his pro career.
One of those select few is Sonny Vaccaro, played by the effortlessly charming Matt Damon. Damon is great in this movie, especially in the scenes where he plays off Jason Bateman, who plays the marketing executive Rob Strasser. Viola Davis as Jordan's mother, Deloris, is excellent as well. Chris Tucker, acting as some intermittently available vaguely important executive named Howard White, seems like he's playing his Rush Hour character, just swapping his uniform for a suit.
The most intriguing character was Ben Affleck's Phil Knight. His performance makes me want to read Shoe Dog to find out if Knight is indeed as weird a guy as Affleck makes him out to be. While preparing for a meeting, his character imparts random Buddhist teachings and suggests breathing exercises, which is just weird. Something to dig into.
I especially liked the stylistic choice to keep Michael Jordan out of the movie, for the most part. It's the story of the shoe, the business, and the deal. The movie kept its focus clear, which made it a compelling watch.
Air was a lot of fun, I really enjoyed it. It made me happy.