Air: Affleck's sports drama soars on sublime direction, a stellar cast, and a superb script
With a cast firing on all cylinders, Affleck delivers an exceptionally well paced vintage Hollywood crowd-pleaser with deft comedic touches stitched by a K-Tel ready hits of the 80's soundtrack.
Air, USA, 2023, 111 mins | Drama, Comedy, Period, Sports | Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker | Writer: Alex Convery | Director: Ben Affleck | Prod. Company Amazon Studios | Dist. by Warner Brothers
Air soars—and that’s not hyperbole. Ben Affleck’s fifth feature directing outing after 2016’s stylish noir Live by Night, crafts a pitch-perfect film from first-time writer Alex Convery’s spec script. Affleck, while directing a king’s ransom of acting talent including Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina, and of course himself, facilitated a loose and improvisation approach on set while paying it forward to Convery, giving full credit to the up and comer. This film is his first screenwriting credit. Amazon Studios shows how to elevate a high-calibre feature, giving this star-studded film a theatrical run through Warner Brothers. Perhaps this will be the year The Academy wakes up and stops rewarding Netflix for starving theatrical.
Affleck delivers a vintage bankable Hollywood throwback and nails it. A superlative cast led by the always-dialled-in Matt Damon, who shines here as Nike talent recruiter Sonny Vaccaro, scrambling for third-tier players behind Converse and Adidas for brand ambassadors. Through his dogged work, scouting for rising star college athletes across the country and reviewing tapes tirelessly into the wee hours in his archives library, he uncovered the sublime talent now known the world over to be Michael Jordan.
After repeatedly analyzing the team’s plays and Jordan’s effortless grace, Vaccaro recognizes an unprecedented opportunity. At the story's start, his job is shown as somewhat nebulous. His value to the company may only be known to Nike founder Phil Knight, effortlessly conjured by Ben Affleck with comic brilliance. Not having produced the breakout hit the company needs to make a dent in the marketplace, Vaccaro’s time may be running out.
Sensing their family’s prosperity in jeopardy, his colleagues opt to play it safe, voting to randomly pick three of the best players from the leftovers. Vaccaro has other plans. He wants to go all in on Jordan. No one, including Phil, is eager to hedge their futures on one unknown talent. However, Vaccaro is a man possessed and goes on a divine mission to secure Jordan despite better judgements and all obstacles to the contrary. The preeminent of which necessitates winning over Jordan’s mother Deloris, played by the inimitable Viola Davis.
The cast across the board is nothing but stellar. A hilarious Ben Affleck with terrific comedic physicality as Knight, strong support from Jason Bateman (a film director himself) who gives his usual detached callous delivery a heart to grow into, and another knock-out turn full of gravitas from Viola Davis, as bankable as ever. Her presence alone dials the proceedings down to a level of real stakes. No wonder Jordan himself made her casting requisite to securing the film’s rights, along with dramatizing his friend Howard White played by Chris Tucker.
A surprise pinch-hit win comes from the ever-underrated Chris Messina, who appears to have been left off the poster as an Easter Egg. He delivers a terrific scene-stealing, dialogue-chomping romp, pinch-hitting a home run under the radar of the marketing materials. It was a pleasant surprise to see him, perfectly cast, extending his scene-stealing turn from I Care a Lot into a shrewder, more vile power player, this time as a sports agent, lending the film its most “show me the money” Jerry Maguire moments.
Rounding out the scenery-chewing is the ever-charismatic Chris Tucker in a more grounded turn, delivering real heart. There’s a wonderful scene at the top of a major negotiation that has an undeniable improvisation feel between him, Davis and Julius Tennon, who plays Jordan’s dad. Tucker playing exec. Howard White arrives late and has a humourous exchange with Tennon that starts the epic boardroom scene capped by an Oscar moment from Damon. The sequence presents a stretch of film craft as good as any to be found in a drama, displaying Affleck’s deft hand.
If there’s anything that detracts here, it’s the choice to present Jordan as a faceless entity. Affleck stages the few key scenes he appears in to obscure his face. I understand why because it would distract from the film. Audiences would likely fixate on how well the chosen actor matches a desired likeness to the legend. However, even though it was odd at times and distracting, I think the decision is a wise one. It keeps the story centred on the B-players of the marketing negotiations story, allowing them to have their moment to shine without being eclipsed by the athletic titan.
Affleck’s direction is impeccable. He delivers an effortless film that sings with outstanding energy and verve, all while stealing several scenes himself with beautiful awkward comedic physicality. The suspense of securing Jordan’s endorsement against the stiff competition of the top two brands surprisingly carries the film through a story we already know the ending going in. Yet we lean in watching the events unfold rooting at every turn for Damon to make this thing happen!
Affleck creates a breezy dry-comedic first act that keeps the energy light and effortless through to the midpoint and then quietly pivots into the gravity of the stakes for Nike and its staff, closing this landmark deal that demonstrates ballsy marketing hutzpah and risk-taking. The phenomenal acting throughout this film gives it the air it needs to soar.
The creative mix of cinematography, led by legendary Scorcese, Tarantino light smith Robert Richardson, combined in a superb edit from William Goldenberg (Zero Dark Thirty, Argo), all delivered against a backdrop of priceless period-piece detail from the production team, led by François Audouy (Ford v. Ferrari, Logan) lends this film verve and authenticity, underscoring Affleck’s smart pacing and steady directorial vision. To stitch it all together is a very expensive soundtrack, with over a dozen classic 80s hits that had me singing and tapping my foot at every scene transition.
With this much pedigree in front of and behind the lens, how shameful it would have been to drop this as a streaming-only movie. Kudos to Amazon Studios for releasing this as a theatrical, with $20MM domestic in returns already in the can against stiff blockbuster competition. It seems it’s not yet time to write off the older demo that has been staying home throughout protracted pandemic precautions.
Air is an absolute blast to see in theatres with a friend or companion with whom you can share the infectious vibe. Though I strongly urge you not to listen to the K-Tel-ready soundtrack beforehand and allow the songs to hit you again for the first time in the film, I Can’t Fight This Feeling to provide you with the link to enjoy it after your screening. Of course, if you decide to Rock the Casbah beforehand you’ll diminish your bragging rights for naming them all during the movie. But I’m happy to let that be our little secret, Sister Christian.
Rating
4/5
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Will you get out with friends to see the breezy, feel-good Air? Let me know if seeing Matt and Ben together doing what they do best gives you all the feels too. And most importantly, do we need to start a chang.org campaign to get Amazon to change the cover of the soundtrack album to a retro K-Tel design?