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Air
The decades old collaborative relationship with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon has come up with another winner with their 2023 film Air, a slightly manipulative, but very effective look at a marketing strategy that became a singular and all-consuming mission for one particular shoe salesman.
It's the 1980's (and director Affleck makes no bones about pounding this into the viewer's heads) where Nike, which appears to be the #4 shoe company at the time, looking for a way to boost their revenue. One of their salesman, Sonny Vaccaro (Damon) decides the way to do that is by getting the greatest basketball player in the world, Michael Jordan, to endorse one of their sneaker designs. Sonny's idea, though, is instead of having the athlete endorse a particular shoe, design a show created specifically for Jordan and naming it after him.
Director Affleck actually gave a television writer named Alex Convery his first shot at a screenplay, and for a first time screenwriter, the work is pretty impressive. The story might have just a tad more detail than necessary and takes a little too much time with setting up the 80's but the Cinderella story of Sonny Vaccaro is a joy to watch...the slightly overweight dreamer who has settled into the quiet rut his life becomes until this opportunity falls into his lap. It was especially fun watching Vaccaro trying to convince his bosses what he wants to do and then defying everyone by making the forbidden move of talking to Michael's parents. Loved when Sonny first arrives at the Jordan home and meets his parents and dad stays in front working on the car while mom deals with Mr. Vaccaro.
One thing I loved that Affleck did here was, being aware that he was dealing with Jordan at the beginning of the career, he knew he could not cast Jordan as himself (apparently he even told this to Jordan personally), so he does cast a young actor in the role, but we never see his face and he never speaks. His mom handles all negotiations for him. I loved that first meeting between Vacarro and Mrs. Jordan, the planning meeting of the Nike staff where they decide CEO Phil Knight (Affleck) should arrive at the meeting seven minutes late, Sonny's first talk with Michael's agent, David Falk, Sonny's speech at the meeting, and his final phone conversation with Mrs. Jordan.
Affleck put a lot of care into production values here and I was particularly impressed with the music that frames the story. Not only are original recordings from th 80's employed, but some of the most famous riffs and vamps heard during the 1980's are tweaked just enough that Affleck probably didn't have to pay for permission to use them. Matt Damon brings a lovely sincerity to Vaccaro and gets solid support from Jason Bateman as marketing exec Rob Strasser, and Chris Tucker as Howard White. Oscar winner Viola Davis and Chris Messina steal every scene they're in as Jordan's mother and agent, respectively. It takes a little longer than necessary, but a very smooth and entertaining ride nevertheless.
The decades old collaborative relationship with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon has come up with another winner with their 2023 film Air, a slightly manipulative, but very effective look at a marketing strategy that became a singular and all-consuming mission for one particular shoe salesman.
It's the 1980's (and director Affleck makes no bones about pounding this into the viewer's heads) where Nike, which appears to be the #4 shoe company at the time, looking for a way to boost their revenue. One of their salesman, Sonny Vaccaro (Damon) decides the way to do that is by getting the greatest basketball player in the world, Michael Jordan, to endorse one of their sneaker designs. Sonny's idea, though, is instead of having the athlete endorse a particular shoe, design a show created specifically for Jordan and naming it after him.
Director Affleck actually gave a television writer named Alex Convery his first shot at a screenplay, and for a first time screenwriter, the work is pretty impressive. The story might have just a tad more detail than necessary and takes a little too much time with setting up the 80's but the Cinderella story of Sonny Vaccaro is a joy to watch...the slightly overweight dreamer who has settled into the quiet rut his life becomes until this opportunity falls into his lap. It was especially fun watching Vaccaro trying to convince his bosses what he wants to do and then defying everyone by making the forbidden move of talking to Michael's parents. Loved when Sonny first arrives at the Jordan home and meets his parents and dad stays in front working on the car while mom deals with Mr. Vaccaro.
One thing I loved that Affleck did here was, being aware that he was dealing with Jordan at the beginning of the career, he knew he could not cast Jordan as himself (apparently he even told this to Jordan personally), so he does cast a young actor in the role, but we never see his face and he never speaks. His mom handles all negotiations for him. I loved that first meeting between Vacarro and Mrs. Jordan, the planning meeting of the Nike staff where they decide CEO Phil Knight (Affleck) should arrive at the meeting seven minutes late, Sonny's first talk with Michael's agent, David Falk, Sonny's speech at the meeting, and his final phone conversation with Mrs. Jordan.
Affleck put a lot of care into production values here and I was particularly impressed with the music that frames the story. Not only are original recordings from th 80's employed, but some of the most famous riffs and vamps heard during the 1980's are tweaked just enough that Affleck probably didn't have to pay for permission to use them. Matt Damon brings a lovely sincerity to Vaccaro and gets solid support from Jason Bateman as marketing exec Rob Strasser, and Chris Tucker as Howard White. Oscar winner Viola Davis and Chris Messina steal every scene they're in as Jordan's mother and agent, respectively. It takes a little longer than necessary, but a very smooth and entertaining ride nevertheless.