Michael Jordan and his mythical Air Jordan: how is the Ben Affleck movie, with Matt Damon

2023-04-06T12:09:25.090Z

The film tells how Nike convinced his mother, more than Jordan, to sign a contract and make basketball shoes.

There are films, generally good ones, that allow them to be interpreted and shredded in different ways.

Air: The story behind the logo

, by

Ben Affleck

and with Matt Damon, about how Nike convinced Michael Jordan to sign with her, is a very clear example.

Because we can understand that it is about a man, stubborn but enterprising, who against all odds achieves what he wants -not

Michael Jordan

, at least not in this film, but Sonny Vaccaro, the character played by Matt Damon-.

Also, that it's a movie about a big company that does whatever it takes to make more money.

Matt Damon is Sonny Vaccaro, the basketball "guru" behind the tricky little figure: Michael Jordan.

WB Photos

A story about the benefits of capitalism.

Or about how the American dream is -or was in the '80s- possible.

Ben Affleck reserved the role of billionaire and Nike co-founder Phil Knight.

For context: In 1984, Nike was a running shoe brand, wanting to get its nose into the basketball business, when Converse and Adidas were running the market.

They have a small budget, and they want to sign three NBA players for (self)promotion.

But it is Sonny Vaccaro, a basketball guru, who against the advice of his superiors, such as Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike (a secondary role that Ben Affleck kept for himself), or Trob Strasser, the skeptical but intelligent executive who makes up Jason Bateman, and marketing expert Howard White (Chris Tucker) decides to go all-in on one player.

Yes, rookie Michael Jordan.

Creating the shoe

Matthew Maher, Matt Damon and Jason Bateman, in the Nike basement.

Vaccaro was also a player in Las Vegas, a guy who knew both basketball and statistics and had what is called a nose, intuition or just luck when it came to betting on something.

Jordan, invisible in his own movie

The strangest thing about

Air

is that Michael Jordan himself, who is the center of the matter, is practically invisible in the film.

If he appears, he does it from behind.

He is an insignificant character in the plot, because for some reason he delegated everything -absolutely everything- to his mother Deloris (Viola Davis).

Viola Davis plays Deloris, the mother of the future winner of 6 NBA rings, with the Chicago Bulls.

The reasons why director Ben Affleck chose this option may have not one but several causes: showing the emblem, one of the best athletes in history, with the face of an unknown actor, could lower the price of characterization.

The other is if he wanted to play mystery.

And there is a third: by delegating so much power to Deloris, the need for Matt Damon

's character to ingratiate himself and win over the only powerful female character, with force, in the entire film is

strengthened -in the plot of the film, eh- .

Damon returned to work with his friend, Ben Affleck, with whom he won his only Oscar for the screenplay for "In Search of Destiny."

What Affleck did not spend to find an actor similar to the winner of 6 NBA rings with the Chicago Bulls, it is seen that he put it in the purchase of rights to emblematic musical themes of the '80s.

Name one, and you'll hear it in the movie theater.

I have said on other occasions - and I stand by it - that Affleck is a better director than an interpreter.

All in all, Air is not the most remarkable, if we remember

Disappeared One Night

Dangerous Attraction

(

The Town

) or

Argo

It has a dizzying pace: Affleck has the ability to get us into the plot and make us care about his characters, something as simple as it is necessary for a movie to catch us.

Ben Affleck was always a better filmmaker than performer.

And he has his old friend Matt Damon in the main role, the one that works so well for the

Rescue Mission

actor : the common man, involved in an extraordinary circumstance.

It also featured two of his favorite actors: Chris Messina, Jordan's whoring agent, and Matthew Maher, as Peter Moore, the sneaker design genius who works in the basement of Nike.

Affleck stuck with the role of billionaire Knight, shoving comedic lines into him, or spouting aphorisms and looking zen but worried about his cherry-colored sports car.

"Air: The Story Behind the Logo"

Good

Drama.

USA, 2023.

Original title:
“Air”

112', ATP with legend.

From:

Ben Affleck.

With:

Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Marlon Wayans.

Cinemas:

Cinemark Caballito, Cinépolis Recoleta and Pilar, Hoyts Unicenter.