AT LEAST A FINGER ROLL
Unless you've been living under a rock and/or been in a coma since birth, you probably know who Michael Jordan is. In 2023's Air, Jordan the character is never seen in face-to-face form and utters I believe one word. In a weird sort of way, I guess this inclusion kinda adds to the film's mystique. I mean who knew MJ was such a reticent dude early on.
So for all intensive purposes, Air is a completely dialogue-driven sports flick that only shows pro/college basketball footage in archived form. Director Ben Affleck, well this is his Moneyball, his All the Presidents Men for hoops. The only difference is that no one's lives are in danger except in the case that they may lose their jobs. Ugh.
Persona metier security aside, Air is a sucker-for-nostalgia drama that has Affleck going back to his 2010s roots. Lots of forward tracking shots, a grain-like sense of time and place, an abundance of "Greed decade" ditty-s, VHS tapes. Yeah Ben puts your psyche right in the realm of 1984, like you're rocking the parachute pants and saying, "Where's the Beef". He's a helmer that can tell a true story without pandering to audience nitpicking.
Clocking in at 112 minutes and distributed by Amazon studios, Air is about Nike's relentless pursuing of NBA legend Michael Jordan in order for him to wear their revolutionary, custom designed shoe. Air stars Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck himself, and Viola Davis. Affleck shuffles the actors performances wonderfully and talky scenes crackle on a dime. Yeah the kicks speak screenplay gets a little recycled and yeah, the outcome is pretty predictable (because it kinda has to be). Still, Air is entertaining enough and just reminds the mortals how powerful the Jordan name is twenty-plus years after retirement. "Air" traveled.
Written by Jesse Burleson
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