Air

This is an extremely engaging and entertaining film that manages to mine suspense out of a story you already know the ending of. You know that Nike ... at the time the third place loser in the basketball shoe market ... managed to get Michael Jordan to sign with them and created the Air Jordan shoe. To a large degree the film is about HOW Sonny Vaccaro (in the form of Matt Damon) pulled off this feat, but it also makes you doubt IF it's going to happen. That's good storytelling.

It's also a pretty funny film ... more than I expected. Mostly due to Jason Bateman, Chris Turcker (who I am not a fan of, but is really quite good here) and a bravely self-deprecating Ben Affleck, although Dave Messina steals many scenes as Jordan's agent.

It's really so well put together than you start to forget that Nike is hardly an underdog, and this is really a film about a multi-billion dollar company becoming even bigger and making a soon-to-be-very-wealthy athlete even wealthier. It's a nice trick.

My only real complaint about the film is that it's WAY too dedicated to reminding you that it's set in 1984.

Nike are now synonymous with sports and sportswear, and Adidas's great rivals, however it wasn't always that way and this little film explains how they did it.

This film started off as a made for streaming movie, small(ish) in scale and with a decent but not spectacular budget. However the casting of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (both in front of and behind the camera) really brought it up to another level. Whilst the final result still feels like a glorified TV movie, Damon is excellent as usual and for once Affleck doesn't seem to be punching above his weight as an actor. This is actually a very well made and acted film, although the slight story may not be to everyone's taste.

Viola Davis and Julius Tannon also turn in a good performances as Michael Jordan's devoted parents. There are also solid turns from Chris Tucker (looking a few pounds heavier than the last time I saw him in anything worthwhile) and Jason Bateman amongst others.

It's an interesting subject matter and I enjoyed the soundtrack too (many 80s songs of my youth) although it does have a lot of swearing so may not be appropriate for all. Ben Affleck is a very capable director and this is another good movie from him. If you enjoyed more recent biopic films like 'The Founder' and 'Steve Jobs' then you should enjoy this.

I actually rated it at 7.5 stars. Ben Affleck's acting wasn't as good as we know it could have been. The strain of being on both sides of the camera showed - but damn he was great as a director!! Also felt that Chris Tucker's usual comedy set him apart for such a strong part.

So, I am absolutely NOT a sports fan and I don't wear Air Jordan shoes. HOWEVER, it was fun to see that Peter Moore, the original creator of the shoe, did, indeed, make them a work of art from the very beginning - once he was given free reign. That made me the happiest!! I DO love looking at Air Jordan's and they are absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

This movie about sports and sport clothes was brilliantly done due to the fact that everyone in it felt free to be very natural.

Some reviewers don't like that we never see Michael Jordan's face. I did like it. He is FAR too well-known to be played by an actor. AND this movie really wan't about him, per se. It was very much about his mother and what she did not only for him, but for everyone in sports.

This is a movie for everyone. ENJOY!!

Return to form for Mr. Ben Affleck. He managed to get me out to the theater to see a movie about Nike. Not necessarily a shoe guy, however this movie paints the picture as to why people invest in these shoes. The directing was fantastic. Stellar cast. Matt Damon bringing his A Game as always. Chris Tucker just added his magic to this movie. Jason Bateman just being a supporting character was interesting, but his story really added to the stakes of the movie. The pacing was a little off here, and there but the story, and cast really allows this movie to breathe in away you don't worry about the pace like that. Definitely give this flick a chance if you like start up films.

We need more films like this right now. No agenda. No politics. Just an interesting (and true) story that entertains us. Write some dialogue, grab some cameras, get solid actors, and go to work. There's nothing complicated in this film. There no mystery to solve, no giant set pieces, just a fantastic time on the screen. The 80s are shown a ton of love in every aspect of the film. I am liking Matt Damon more as an actor as his career moves on. He's not above setting his star power aside and concentrate on being an actor and it works so well here. Too much can never be said about Ben Affleck as a director. He's one of the best working right now. As solid a movie as you will ever watch.