Let’s all calm down when it comes to Ben Affleck’s “Air.” I know that Clayton Davis is saying it’s “2023’s First Slam Dunk Awards Contender,” but it’s way too early to make any assumptions.
It’s not just Davis already talking Oscar when it comes to this upcoming April-released film, there are plenty of other pundits saying the same thing.
The best thing I can say about “Air” is that it’s part of a dying breed: the mid-budget, adult-oriented movie. They rarely make ‘em like this anymore and so I’ll be cheering for it to make lots of money when it is released in two weeks time.
“Air” tells the story of the rise of Nike thanks to its partnership with then-rookie Michael Jordan. Matt Damon is Sonny Vaccaro a vehement pursuer of Jordan’s, he wants to sign 18-year-old MJ to a lucrative contract and give him his own shoe line.
His partners at NIKE headquarters aren’t as enthused, especially since Sonny is willing to dish out their entire budget on a single player. It doesn’t help that more successful shoe companies like Adidas and Converse are also pursuing MJ. Albeit, they’re not prioritizing him since, it’s hard to believe this, Jordan was not going to be the top draft pick that year, in fact, he was picked third overall.
The director of marketing, Rob Strasseer (a delightfully playful Jason Bateman), thinks Sonny has gone insane ditto Nike head honcho Phil Knight (Affleck) who seems rather unenthused by the plan.
Of course, we all know how it ends, and the anticlimactic nature of “Air” does do it a disservice. The energy in watching this underdog story comes more in learning how it all went down. The setup is excellent.
Sonny, knowing he’s on the ropes in the Jordan sweepstakes, decides to pay Jordan’s mom (Viola Davis) a visit in North Carolina, no call ahead of time, no warning. Their meeting in the Jordan backyard is fascinatingly depicted by Affleck, you hang on to every word of dialogue as both characters assess one in another. Both characters are bound by the profound belief that Jordan will be an exceptional player.
Shot by Affleck, with a lower budget than he’s been used to, there is infectious energy in the way the camera moves through the frames, even when the film doesn’t necessarily break any storytelling ground and would rather adhere to its by-The-books winning formula. The ‘80s production design also is immersive enough that you tend to forget the predictability of the whole thing.
It’s all played out in straightforward fashion. This is the type of harmless movie that will probably have a long shelf life of reruns on TV, think HBO or TNT.
If there’s one performance that stands out it’s that of Viola Davis for her turn as Deloris Jordan, the stoic and wise mother. Despite her role being underwritten, Davis really gets through to the heart of Deloris here. Damon is his usual likable self, an underrated actor who always delivers, but hasn’t really topped his best and most risk-taking work (“The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “The Informant”).
I can’t really say that “Air” is a slam dunk, it’s just a really well-made yarn that has these conventional beats along the way. It doesn’t dig deep enough or take the necessary kind of risks to standout as a unique addition to American movie cannon. It just desperately wants to be liked and it does somewhat succeed in that respect. [B/B-]