In 1984, Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) is a basketball talent scout for Nike, working in the Basketball Shoe division. While Nike dominates the running shoe market, its share of the basketball shoe market is just 17%—well below that of Adidas and Comverse. The division has been losing money, and is in danger of going on the chopping block unless things turn around quickly. Company CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) has only given the division a budget of $250K to spread across potential endorsement deals with 3-4 rookie candidates from the NBA draft picks. Sonny feels passionately about draft pick number 3, Michael Jordan, but Jordan’s agent David Falk (Chris Messina) has already assured Sonny that Jordan has expressed no interest in meeting with or signing with Nike, and that he is focused on Adidas and Converse.
Sonny is a man who loves to bet, and wants to gamble the entire $250K budget going after just one player, building a line around Jordan. Since Falk told Sonny not to call his client directly, Sonny skirts around this by driving to North Carolina to meet with Jordan’s mother, Deloris (Viola Davis), face-to-face. But getting a meeting with Michael is just the first step, and he and his team—shoe designer Peter Moore (Matthew Maher), VP of Nike basketball athlete relations Howard White (Chris Tucker), and VP of marketing for Nike basketball Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman)—are going to need to find a way to win over this man who Sonny truly believes will become the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, and the key may be the Air Jordan. The result of this deal will change the industry forever.
AIR is a captivating and entertaining story that instantly transports the viewer back to 1984, taking them on this humorous and emotional ride, as a passionate Sonny Vaccaro fights for something he truly believes in. It’s not about the money for Sonny. He is willing to put his own job on the line as he believes Michael Jordan could be a once in a lifetime talent. At first his co-workers think his actions are rash and needlessly putting their jobs at risk, but Sonny’s passion is infectious and soon the others see what he sees. Then it becomes a full court press to win the deal. Even when watching this film for the second time around, I found myself completely drawn into this story and its characters. The characters are well developed, making you care about them and their well-being. Even though you know the ultimate outcome, I still found the twists and turns to be quite exciting, and sometimes even emotional. It is quite an interesting and uplifting tale.
Matt Damon is excellent in this role, delivering not only a strong dramatic performance, but also some really humorous moments. You really believe the passion that Sonny has for Jordan and why he’s willing to risk everything to sign him. The supporting cast is also strong, and give the viewer a good sense of driving force behind their characters. Ben Affleck is a joy as the quirky CEO Phil Knight, who started the company and once had complete autonomy, but now finds himself having to answer to a board since the company went public. We also get to see multiple sides of marketing exec Rob Strasser, who’s both supportive of Sonny, but also dealing with some personal/family issues. While the film never really shows Michael’s face, he is present during the meetings, often showing his visual disinterest in Nike and what they have to offer. But Sonny knows that it’s not Michael that he needs to sell to, but rather his mother Deloris—and Viola Davis is captivating in the role.
I was surprised to see that the film was rated R, but I believe that is almost completely thanks to Chris Messina’s hilarious performance as sports agent David Falk, who is constantly going off on Sonny with some foul-mouthed, expletive-filled rant.
The film comes from MGM, and has received a Blu-ray & DVD release thanks to Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. We were sent the Blu-ray version for review—the video presentation looks excellent, with a clear and pristine picture and solid level of detail throughout. The opening title sequence and archival footage are a bit grainy, but this feels like a deliberate look and feel. The film’s slightly pale color pallete looks beautiful, and helps to evoke the era of the movie. The disc’s audio presentation is also impressive, providing clear dialogue throughout, and making nice use of the surround and stereo channels to give an immersive feel—this is especially noticeable in the hustle and bustle of the Nike office bullpen. The film also features an amazing 80s soundtrack, with over a dozen recognizable tunes that fill the room with a really full sound. (I often found myself singing along in my head.)
The Blu-ray disc is packed in a standard HD keepcase, along with a glossy cardboard slipcover. The release is barebones, only including the film, and no other bonus material or digital copy—the movie is only available to stream as part of the Amazon Prime service.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:51:39)
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service)
- Subtitles: English SDH
Blu-ray:
Extras:
-
There is no bonus material included.
Final Thoughts:
AIR is a thoroughly entertaining film—featuring a wonderful all-star main cast—that is as dramatic as it is humorous. It tells the true story of those behind Michael Jordan’s groundbreaking deal with Nike that changed the industry forever. The MGM film finds its way onto physical media thanks to Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, but is barebones, not including any bonus material or digital copy—the digital release is currently still locked down to the Amazon Prime streaming service. However, the Blu-ray still comes recommended for anyone wanting to add this fun movie to their collection.
Air (Blu-ray)
37% Off $22.98 $6.00 (as of April 26, 2024 06:27 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Air (DVD)
63% Off $29.98 $10.98 (as of April 26, 2024 06:27 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Air
(as of April 26, 2024 06:27 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
