2023 appears to be the year of Movies About Stuff You Didn't Think Needed A Movie About Them. (Long title, admittedly). This year alone we've had or are about to get movies about Tetris, the Blackberry phone, pinball machines, and Flamin' Hot Cheetos.
Add to that list the movie Air, which gives us a star-studded deep dive on the creation of the Air Jordan footwear, directed by none other than Ben Affleck. You can check out our interview with Affleck, and his co-star Chris Tucker, right here:
Air focuses on the story of Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), who practically single handedly signed Michael Jordan to the Nike brand, back in a time when Nike was considered to be nowhere near the best in the industry. The mega cast also includes Ben Affleck as Phil Knight (the CEO of Nike), Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser (head of Marketing), Chris Tucker as Howard White (head of the basketball division), Chris Messina as David Falk (Michael's agent), and Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan (Michael's mother).
Check out our interview with Chris Messina and Jason Bateman about their roles in the movie right here:
Air was a critical hit
Upon release in cinemas (not that long ago, debuting in early April, and still showing in some cinemas at the time of writing), the movie scored 92% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics, leading some to believe that it could be an early entry for the Best Picture race in 2024. Here are some of the critical highlights:
Indiewire - "Air is a slam dunk and ultimately one of the best sports movies ever made."
Screen Daily - "Ben Affleck produces one of his most irresistibly entertaining dramas — albeit one that never forgets the capitalist reality of this feel-good story."
Collider - "Affleck makes Air look easy, a director who knows exactly what he’s doing, and knows how to build anticipation, work our excitement, and tell a story about a shoe that is truly enthralling and gripping."
Air is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video from today (Friday, 12 May).
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