10 Apr Air Review by Amaru Moses

AIR

There’s nothing that brings crowds to their feet with more enthusiasm and fervor than sports and music. Rooting for your favorite team, hearing your favorite song, or listening to your favorite motivational halftime speech can make you feel as if you could run through a brick wall. Take those things and put them together in a movie and you get the definition of a crowd-pleaser (see: Rocky 3 and 8 Mile… yes, I’m including competitive battle rap as a sport). That is exactly what Air is, a true crowd-pleaser whose foundational structure consists of two main components: needle drops and monologues.

Director/co-star Ben Affleck does a fantastic job taking us through the inspiring story of how Michael and Deloris Jordan (the always striking Viola Davis) revolutionized how athletes are compensated for their extraordinary talent. Following Nike basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (played forcefully by Matt Damon) and his longshot pursuit of Michael Jordan’s brand endorsement, Affleck utilizes a great musical selection, intimate camera shots, and passionate performances to bring audiences along on this never-say-quit underdog story. While the dialogue is superbly delivered and the soundtrack is top notch, those two heavily featured aspects of the film made it feel like I was sitting at a backyard barbecue listening to stories of the good-old days instead of in a theater watching a full-length feature film.

Sonny explains why Jordan must be the player Nike pulls away from Adidas, cueing up Run DMC’s “My Adidas”, leading to the next speech from Affleck’s Phil Knight on why they have no dog in the fight, cueing up George Clinton’s “Atomic Dog”, and so on and so forth for the majority of the runtime. While leaving the film feeling slightly muddled, this round robin of music and motivation does allow for the great ensemble to shine in their respective moments. Chris Tucker is charming as ever as player-turned-Nike-executive Howard White; Marlon Wayans’ George Raveling is riveting as he gives Sonny jaw dropping advice; dry-humored Jason Bateman is the perfect foil for Damon as Marketing VP Rob Strasser; Chris Messina is bombastic as Michael Jordan’s foul-mouthed agent David Falk; and Matthew Maher is a scene-stealer as the eccentric shoe developer Peter Moore. Each of their moments, however enthralling, feel disjointedly strung together by musical storytelling rather than narrative.

Even so, following Vaccaro’s relentless pursuit of Jordan is entertainingly satisfying, especially when Damon and Davis are at the forefront of the negotiations. The film’s last act feels much more connected as the two of them are front and center during its rousing climax, with both actors delivering monologues that will be remembered amongst the upper echelon of sports movie moments. With their riveting lead performances, a great ensemble cast, and a fantastic soundtrack, Air is a fist-pumping good time that would elevate from really good to great if the entire runtime felt as cohesive as the final 30 minutes.

Review by Amaru Moses