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buttered and salty ‘Air’

HHH PG-13

1 hour, 52 minutes

Drama, Sports

Now streaming on Amazon Prime

Ben Affleck’s “Air” fires off from the starting block with a wave of 1980s nostalgia and doesn’t let up. Quick explosions of video clips of every pop-cultural event of 1984 (and there were a lot of them) backed by Dire Straits “Money For Nothing” set the tone in the first few and don’t let up. From there the film follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball: Michael Jordan.

The film doesn’t have a dull moment. It moves through the runtime like a 1980s-fueled fever dream. This is due to a tight and entertaining script by freshman writer Alex Convery, who keeps exposition light and entertaining while friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon — 26 years after “Good Will Hunting” put them together as collaborators — and the rest of the A-list cast move the chains of the narrative. This includes Jason Bateman as Nike marketing director Rob Strasser, Chris Tucker as executive Howard White (who all these years later is still in charge of the Jordan brand) and the great Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan (Michael’s Mother). The cast is expectedly top-tier.

We all know the outcome of the film. Michael Jordan went on to become one of the greatest athletes in history and in the process, changed how global basketball (or sports for that matter) marketing was done. This film showcases the dramatic process of how the Nike/Jordan deal was accomplished before Mike even stepped onto an NBA court for the first time. What I find joyous about this film is it features characters who, while far from perfect human beings, are good at their jobs. Too many modern movies are so focused on making characters sympathetic to all audiences that screenwriters include plucky jokes and dialog to make them “relatable.” This is no more evident on modern “Star Trek” shows (other than the excellent third season of “Star Trek: Picard”), where characters spew out jokes and zingers that are clever in 2023 but completely out of place in the 23rd century. This is not the cast in “Air.” Characters are out of shape though they work for an athletic shoe company; they are going through divorces and a mid-life crisis even though they are attempting to make trendy and hip shoes for teenagers and 20-somethings.

The film uses a narrative of naming the sections of the film after several of the Nike principles (below) CEO Phil Knight (Affleck) had framed in his office. This is a wonderful and effective narrative foundation to build the story on. We should all take a look at these principles to guide our professional ambitions.

If there is one area I thought could have been improved in the story it would be some of the personal lives of the characters. There is a scene late in the film where Bateman’s Strasser tells Damon’s Vaccaro about how he only gets his daughter on Sundays since his divorce and every week he takes her a pair of Nikes from work. The little girl loves getting the shoes (of course) and even though they are a material thing it gives him value in her eyes (and in his, frankly) because of what he does for a living. This is the type of character struggle and background 2011’s “Moneyball” with Brad Pitt excelled at. “Air” could have used a bit more of this.

“Air” may seem like a two-hour ad for Nike but it is not. It documents a deal and time period that literally changed the sports, fashion and marketing world with one improbable deal by a floundering Nike Basketball division at the time. It also has one hell of a great 1980s soundtrack!

Principles saturday, June 10th, 4pm to

1. Our business is change.

2. We’re on offense. All the time.

3. Perfect results count — not a perfect process. Break the rules: fight the law.

4. This is as much about battle as about business.

5. Assume nothing. Make sure people keep their promises. Push yourselves, push others. Stretch the possible.

941 Cold springs

FOOD,

6. Live off the land.

7. Your job isn’t done until the job is done.

8. Dangers:

– Bureaucracy

– Personal ambition

– Energy takers vs. energy givers

– Knowing our weaknesses

– Don’t get too many things on the platter

9. It won’t be pretty.

10. If we do the right things, we’ll make money damn near automatic.

Joshua B. Porter is a writer/director/producer. He is a producer on the romantic comedy “Not Your Year,” currently available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime. He can be reached at @joshuabporter or joshuabporter@mtdemocrat.net.