“A shoe is just a shoe until someone steps into it.”
That someone is Michael Jordan. Not “The Michael Jordan” as the world knows it now, but as a young rookie basketball player who never even set foot on an NBA court.
The year is 1984. Adidas and Converse are the top dogs in the sneakers market. Nike is the underdog, running a distant third. Nike's sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon, “Bourne” series, “Elysium,” “The Adjustment Bureau”) is convincing himself and also trying to convince CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck; “The Town,” “Argo,” “Gone Girl"), marketing and partner relations executives, Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman, "The Gift") and Howard White (Chris Tucker) to land rising star, yet unproven Jordan as the singular face of Nike's shoeline.
Sonny has a keen eye to spot genuine talent, with foretelling vision. A moment in time where an 18-year old Jordan was entrusted to catch a game-changer ball catches his eye. Instead of spreading the dollars and signing three or four players, Sonny goes for broke. He risks his entire career and his colleagues' livelihood by pushing Nike to put all its shoes in one rack, spending their entire budget of $250K on a five-year contract solely on Jordan. Needless to say, everyone balks. The various ways how Sonny gets them onboard are not only remarkable, but also humorous and heartfelt.
Even as Nike's key players finally buy into the utterly risky bet, there's another nearly insurmountable obstacle; Jordan is a fan of Adidas and loves their shoes. Not only it's made clear to Nike that Adidas is Jordan's preference, Sonny is also told by the family's agent, David Falk (Chris Messina) that Jordan and his family are not even willing to meet with Nike, let alone hearing the company's pitch.
Facing this roadblock, Sonny breaks protocol and visits the Jordan family at home. He and Jordan's mother, Deloris (Viola Davis, “Ender's Game”) manage to have a heart-to-heart talk. Deloris is likely the only person on earth who believes her son is different and truly has talent like no other. The moments where Sonny predicts how the Adidas' and Converse's pitches would go and how they actually transpire are comedic gold.
The million-dollar question comes down to how Jordan himself would like to be seen. Being another player on the roster of champions before him, having the trajectory of his career decided by clashing corporate suits, or being eponymous to a shoe that is made just for him. He would embody the shoe, not merely wearing it. He would be the shoe and the shoe's identity would forever be associated with him.
The meeting with master shoe designer, Matthew Maher (Peter Moore), and the creation of Air Jordan One prototype, are hilariously insightful, as well as the pitch strategy session. Curiously, the NBA has strict rules about how much white needs to be shown on a shoe and that they would fine players wearing shoes with other colors if they occupy too much space on the shoes.
The high-stake pitch meeting is rousing and electrifying. Damon is clearly the MVP here. Eschewing script, his impassioned speech hits all the high marks and emotional notes about what Jordan would go on conquering, the kinds of highs he would reach and lows he would find himself in, how he would go down in history and be remembered for.
At the time, a shoe was just a shoe and a player was just a player; it's purely transactional. There has never been an athlete who is a lifestyle brand. And even after all the hoops Sonny has to jump through, it almost ends just like that, until a history-changing conversation and brazen negotiation done by Deloris. This is one astute, determined and protective mother who knows her son's real worth and destiny. She's not afraid to go against the norm and ask for what she believes her son deserves, and in the end, not only securing her son's future and his family generations', but also revolutionizing the sports world.
As director, Affleck made a creative choice of not showing larger-than-life Jordan as a character. He's more of a silhouette or faceless figure seen in glimpses. This choice ultimately pays off because the movie is not necessarily about the sports superstar; it's a fascinating, behind-the-scene look of the makings of soon-to-be legendary Michael Jordan, and landmark case of sports licensing and altered pop culture landscape.
If you enjoy films like “The Social Network” or “Hidden Figures,” this is a movie for you. Clever script, aureate dialogue, sharply executed direction and editing, and outstanding acting, combined with authentic footage and nostalgic 80s music, the movie is atmospheric and euphoric, uplifted by hope, optimism and greatness.
“Air” goes off running, takes flight, hits slam dunks, and walks on air. Victoriously heartfelt and hard won, it's a riveting crowd-pleaser.
