Air

Made by Amazon and directed by Ben Affleck is Air, a film about a basketball player’s shoe. The premise may sound as dull as ditch water but the cast is great, with recognisable names such as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Tucker, Viola Davis and Jason Bateman amongst others. Rather remarkably Amazon actually gave it a decent showing in the cinema, rather than plonking it straight online for all to browse past.

The year is 1984 and Nike’s share of the basketball market is down in the doldrums, dwarfed by the big players Adidas and Converse. After some persuading from eager talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), Nike big wig Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) agrees to go for broke and get Michael Jordan to be the face of their company. What follows is a plucky, all American underdog story with lots of determination, a great speech or two, some great haircuts – especially on Phil Knight – and of course a happy ending. 

It’s a decent, evenly placed drama that evokes the period perfectly, from the fashion and cars right down to the perfectly pitched pop soundtrack. The acting is another draw, especially the ever brilliant Viola Davis as Michael Jordan’s mum Deloris, who knows her son’s worth and is no fool. It is a welcomed return to the Affleck and Damon onscreen partnership, and their chemistry is palpable. Although there is only so good a film about a range of shoes can be, by the end it does look and feel like an extended advert for plucky, multi billion dollar company Nike.

A decent sports drama whose good acting and a charming period setting enlivens what is otherwise a glossy advert for Nike soundtracked by catchy pop hits.  

6/10