Air Movie Review: A Compelling Sports Movie and Insider Look at the Shoe Business

We finally took out time this weekend to watch “Air” on Amazon Prime. And boy oh boy, we were pleasantly surprised by its exceptional storytelling.

Now I must confess that I’m the bang-on target audience for this movie considering I do care for both the sports & shoe business, but I’ll be damned if this was still an interesting and very well-shot story about a compulsive gambler who gambled an entire company on one player and got it to pay off like a slot machine.

Directed by Ben Affleck, “Air” manages to make even the budget meetings look entertaining and captivating. As someone who has been in the business of sports, I have attended my fair share of such tedious meetings & can vouch for the realism that the screenplay brought to life.

The dialogues were well crafted, especially the one where Matt Damon aka Sonny Vaccaro gives a monologue to the Jordan family on why MJ should sign with Nike. The story itself was a wild ride, with Matt Damon giving a convincing performance as the main character with a gambling addiction.

What I found particularly clever about “Air” though was the decision to not make the movie about Michael Jordan himself, but rather about the man who recognized his potential before anyone else and capitalized on it. This added an extra layer of intrigue to the film, making it much more than a simple sports movie. The retro soundtrack and nods to the 80s were a blast as well, adding to the overall charm of the film.

The writers of the movie also did their research well, as the story captured the essence of Phil Knight’s journey, as illustrated in the book “Shoe Dog”. Even though it was played for laughs in the movie, the story does include some excellent real-life touches, such as the name “Air Jordan” growing on him and the original “Dimension 6” name that added to its believability.

“Air” overall, is a must-see film that showcases the best of what sports movies can be. With its clever script, impressive cinematography, and great acting, it’s a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll. Now whether you’re a fan of sports, shoes, or just great storytelling, it is a film that you wouldn’t want to miss.

P.S.: If you’re interested in the business side of things, I highly recommend watching the HBO documentary “Winning Time”. While the documentary focuses on the professional & personal lives of the Los Angeles Lakers team in the 80s, there is a segment on the business side of basketball, including the marketing of basketball shoes. In one of the episodes, different shoe companies, including Nike, pitched their products to basketball legend Magic Johnson offering him a $1 royalty for every Magic pair sold. That didn’t quite materialize though & Nike eventually signed Jordan. And as they say at the end of every fairy-tale, the rest is history!