Great news from the front row: this is one of actor-director Ben Affleck and co-star Matt Damon's most enjoyable films. It hooks you from the off, has plenty of laughs, and moves at just the right speed. A crowd-pleaser if ever there was one, Air is a fascinating look at the price of greatness - and the cost of doing business.
"Inspired by true events", it tells the story of Nike's world-changing deal with basketball icon Michael Jordan. Back in the autumn of 1984, rookie Jordan was the third pick for the NBA draft - and Nike was third in market share, and street cred, behind Converse and Adidas.
Trying to pull off the signing of his life is Nike's "Mr Miyagi of High School Basketball" Sonny Vaccaro (Damon), a man who likes to roll the dice at work and at play and, it seems, someone living on borrowed corporate time. With evangelical zeal, he believes Jordan will change sport, and Nike, forever.
Affleck plays Nike's CEO Phil Knight, a lover of Eastern philosophy and, above all, the bottom line. Not only does Vaccaro have to convince Knight to put all of the basketball marketing budget on just one player, he also has to persuade Jordan's formidable mother Deloris (Viola Davis) to take a meeting with the company - and then come up with something truly special if she, her husband, and son make it to the boardroom.
The lead performances are top-notch, and there is brilliant support from Jason Bateman, Matthew Maher, Chris Messina, and Chris Tucker as other real-life figures who all had big parts to play in making history. If you enjoyed the back-and-forth, bravado, and brinkmanship in Affleck's Oscar-winning Argo, then you're in for a treat.
A celebration rather than a critique, Air seems to be playing the Oscars long game with awards season so far away. It deserves a couple of nominations when the time comes. Until then, a certain slogan springs to mind…
