Air

This week, Air, the movie about the creation of the Air Jordan shoe line, was released in theaters. Air follows Nike employee, Sonny Vaccaro as he attempts to revive the struggling Nike Basketball division by closing a shoe deal with Michael Jordan. I am not a big fan of basketball, nor have I ever been interested in the Air Jordan shoe but I like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck so figured I would give it a shot. Also, one of the last movies Ben Affleck directed won Best Picture so I knew this film had the potential to be good.

Considering this movie is about a shoe, it is surprisingly very interesting. It delivers a compelling story with interesting characters and well-written dialogue. The best thing about this movie is all the performances specifically Matt Dameon. Matt Damon delivers such a likable performance that you can't help but want him to succeed. Aside from him, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, and Viola Davis also give stand-out performances and bring fresh energy into the film. The movie is also surprisingly very funny. There are quite a few moments that made me laugh out loud. There is also just a lot of witty dialogue that just makes the movie a lot more enjoyable. The movie as a whole also manages to be interesting and make sense to those that aren't into basketball or Air Jordans. I am not into either of those topics but still understood what was going on in the movie and felt invested in the story. I also liked how they handled the appearance of Michael Jordan in the film. Instead of trying to find an actor that captures the energy of Michael Jordan, they decided to make the smart choice of having his character hidden. He makes appearances in the movie, but his face is always hidden and he never says anything. Doing it this way made a lot of sense and really kept the focus on the Nike employees. Finally, I liked the overall 80s vibe of the film. Watching it felt like a time capsule into the 80s with all of the references to products and technology that were popular then. It also picks a lot of great 80s songs to fill out the soundtrack. I think people who grew up in the 80s are going to feel a lot of nostalgia when they watch this film.

This was a very good film. The only issue I really had with it was that some of the camera work was a bit questionable. There were a few shots in conversations that just did not look all that good when they kept trying to change the focus of the camera.

Overall, this was a very entertaining and interesting movie that has solid performances, 80s nostalgia, funny moments, and an overall just feel-good story.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A Recommendation: Check this out.

R Rating Disclaimer: This movie is rated R for language. If a lot of F-bombs bother you, you may want to sit this one out.