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Air

  • 2023
  • R
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
184K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,449
307
Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Tucker, Jason Bateman, and Viola Davis in Air (2023)
Follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball: Michael Jordan.
Play trailer1:01
10 Videos
99+ Photos
BasketballDocudramaPeriod DramaDramaSport

The history of the game-changing partnership between a then undiscovered Michael Jordan and Nike's fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and culture with the... Read allThe history of the game-changing partnership between a then undiscovered Michael Jordan and Nike's fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and culture with the Air Jordan brand.The history of the game-changing partnership between a then undiscovered Michael Jordan and Nike's fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and culture with the Air Jordan brand.

  • Director
    • Ben Affleck
  • Writer
    • Alex Convery
  • Stars
    • Matt Damon
    • Jason Bateman
    • Ben Affleck
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    184K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,449
    307
    • Director
      • Ben Affleck
    • Writer
      • Alex Convery
    • Stars
      • Matt Damon
      • Jason Bateman
      • Ben Affleck
    • 441User reviews
    • 274Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 50 nominations total

    Videos10

    Big Game Spot
    Trailer 1:01
    Big Game Spot
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:17
    Official Trailer
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:17
    Official Trailer
    Air
    Trailer 1:01
    Air
    Big Game Spot
    Trailer 2:17
    Big Game Spot
    'Air' Cast Reveal the Cars (and Bicycles) They Wanted When They Hit It Big
    Clip 3:01
    'Air' Cast Reveal the Cars (and Bicycles) They Wanted When They Hit It Big
    Air: Viola Davis Is Mother
    Clip 2:13
    Air: Viola Davis Is Mother

    Photos166

    View Poster
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    + 161
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    Top cast42

    Edit
    Matt Damon
    Matt Damon
    • Sonny Vaccaro
    Jason Bateman
    Jason Bateman
    • Rob Strasser
    Ben Affleck
    Ben Affleck
    • Phil Knight
    Chris Messina
    Chris Messina
    • David Falk
    Viola Davis
    Viola Davis
    • Deloris Jordan
    Julius Tennon
    Julius Tennon
    • James Jordan
    Damian Delano Young
    Damian Delano Young
    • Michael Jordan
    • (as Damian Young)
    Chris Tucker
    Chris Tucker
    • Howard White
    Matthew Maher
    Matthew Maher
    • Peter Moore
    Gustaf Skarsgård
    Gustaf Skarsgård
    • Horst Dassler
    Barbara Sukowa
    Barbara Sukowa
    • Kathe Dassler
    Jay Mohr
    Jay Mohr
    • John Fisher
    Joel Gretsch
    Joel Gretsch
    • John O'Neill
    Michael O'Neill
    Michael O'Neill
    • Joe Dean
    Marlon Wayans
    Marlon Wayans
    • George Raveling
    Asanté Deshon
    Asanté Deshon
    • 7-Eleven Clerk
    Billy Smith
    Billy Smith
    • Bill
    Al Madrigal
    Al Madrigal
    • Tim
    • Director
      • Ben Affleck
    • Writer
      • Alex Convery
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews441

    7.4183.9K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'Air' is a compelling film about Nike's rise and the Air Jordan brand, focusing on a crucial marketing deal. Themes include branding power, corporate impact on culture, and business innovation. Strong performances by Matt Damon, Viola Davis, and Ben Affleck are highlighted, along with the nostalgic 1980s setting. However, some find the story predictable and pacing uneven. The decision to not show Michael Jordan's face is both praised and criticized. Overall, 'Air' is entertaining and informative.
    AI-generated from the text of user reviews

    Featured reviews

    9cdjh-81125

    A Great Portrayal of A Potential Boring Subject Matter

    Really, really loved this movie. I know it's become a bit of an overused adage nowadays but this feels like the kind of movie we just don't get anymore.

    I've missed Ben Affleck as a director so much. I've liked every movie he's directed so far (even Live By Night) and this movie shows just how capable he is behind the camera. His directing is a big part of the reason why this film is as captivating as it is. He never just reverts to simple shot/reverse shot between actors during these long dialogue scenes but instead keeps the characters moving and energetic and it keeps the scenes visually interesting. Its also extremely well edited with the film being kept at a brisk pace with a runtime that feels just right for this story.

    But the dialogue here is unbelievable. It's consistently sharp and witty throughout and it keeps the conversations engaging without ever being showy or overwritten. As much as I love Aaron Sorkin dialogue his scenes can often come across as words written by a professional screenwriter rather than genuine interactions between characters but that's not the case here at all. But Air does what Sorkin scripts like the Social Network and Moneyball do extremely successfully and take very non-cinematic subject matters and makes them riveting, captivating watches.

    I was a bit mixed on Affleck's choice to never directly show Michael Jordan on screen. I understand the creative choice but the attempts to hide Jordan on screen often came across as more distracting than I think it would've been had Jordan just been portrayed as an actual character by an actor giving a performance.

    But overall this was a great watch. I'm so glad Amazon are giving this a full theatrical release because it deserves to be seen on the big screen and I sincerely hope this is a sign of things to come not just from Amazon but streamers as a whole.
    8thejdrage

    Absolutely NOT a sports fan, but really liked this movie

    I actually rated it at 7.5 stars. Ben Affleck's acting wasn't as good as we know it could have been. The strain of being on both sides of the camera showed - but damn he was great as a director!! Also felt that Chris Tucker's usual comedy set him apart for such a strong part.

    So, I am absolutely NOT a sports fan and I don't wear Air Jordan shoes. HOWEVER, it was fun to see that Peter Moore, the original creator of the shoe, did, indeed, make them a work of art from the very beginning - once he was given free reign. That made me the happiest!! I DO love looking at Air Jordan's and they are absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

    This movie about sports and sport clothes was brilliantly done due to the fact that everyone in it felt free to be very natural.

    Some reviewers don't like that we never see Michael Jordan's face. I did like it. He is FAR too well-known to be played by an actor. AND this movie really wan't about him, per se. It was very much about his mother and what she did not only for him, but for everyone in sports.

    This is a movie for everyone. ENJOY!!
    7breckroy

    There was a better film in here, but this one is fine

    After finishing this film, I couldn't shake the idea that there was a better film in there. I'm not 100% sure, having seen it so recently, what would be needed to bring out that better film, but I suspect it may have to do with the choice not only to NOT center Michael jordan, but to have him as an incidental fringe character in the film altogether. It's an interesting choice to include his mother and her perspective, but it still feels like this is a story about the wrong people. Not that all of these people shouldn't have been included in this story, but that the exclusion of Jordan and his perspective leaves a little bit of a hole. All of that said, it was an enjoyable enough watch and if you live through this period of time or have a passion for the shoes now, you'll probably find it interesting. Viola Davis is of course, amazing.
    8rdoyle29

    Really solid entertainment

    This is an extremely engaging and entertaining film that manages to mine suspense out of a story you already know the ending of. You know that Nike ... at the time the third place loser in the basketball shoe market ... managed to get Michael Jordan to sign with them and created the Air Jordan shoe. To a large degree the film is about HOW Sonny Vaccaro (in the form of Matt Damon) pulled off this feat, but it also makes you doubt IF it's going to happen. That's good storytelling.

    It's also a pretty funny film ... more than I expected. Mostly due to Jason Bateman, Chris Turcker (who I am not a fan of, but is really quite good here) and a bravely self-deprecating Ben Affleck, although Dave Messina steals many scenes as Jordan's agent.

    It's really so well put together than you start to forget that Nike is hardly an underdog, and this is really a film about a multi-billion dollar company becoming even bigger and making a soon-to-be-very-wealthy athlete even wealthier. It's a nice trick.

    My only real complaint about the film is that it's WAY too dedicated to reminding you that it's set in 1984.
    9gwzct

    Beauty in Simplicity

    We need more films like this right now. No agenda. No politics. Just an interesting (and true) story that entertains us. Write some dialogue, grab some cameras, get solid actors, and go to work. There's nothing complicated in this film. There no mystery to solve, no giant set pieces, just a fantastic time on the screen. The 80s are shown a ton of love in every aspect of the film. I am liking Matt Damon more as an actor as his career moves on. He's not above setting his star power aside and concentrate on being an actor and it works so well here. Too much can never be said about Ben Affleck as a director. He's one of the best working right now. As solid a movie as you will ever watch.

    Big Cars, Big Dreams With the 'Air' Cast

    Big Cars, Big Dreams With the 'Air' Cast

    The Air cast aren't so different from Michael Jordan when it comes to the things they wanted when they first found career success. Find out what Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and their co-stars picked up when they hit it big.
    Watch our interview
    Editorial Image
    3:01

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Though Michael Jordan was not directly involved in the film, Ben Affleck consulted him numerous times to get details on how to accurately portray the story. Jordan's only three requests were that Viola Davis play his mother, and that Howard White and George Raveling be included in the film.
    • Goofs
      The "Just Do It" slogan didn't come out until 1987. It was created in 1987 by Wieden + Kennedy to accompany Nike's first major television campaign, which included commercials for running, walking, cross-training, basketball and women's fitness.
    • Quotes

      Sonny Vaccaro: [to Michael Jordan] Forget about the shoes, forget about the money. You're going to make enough money, it's not going to matter. Money can buy you almost anything, it can't buy you immortality. That, you have to earn. I'm going to look you in the eyes and I'm gonna tell you the future. You were cut from your high school basketball team. You willed your way to the NBA. You're gonna win championships. It's an American story, and that's why Americans are gonna love it. People are going to build you up, and God are they going to, because when you're great and new, we love you. Man, we'll build you up into something that doesn't even exist. You're going to change the fucking world. But you know what? Once they've built you as high as they possibly can, they're gonna tear you back down - it's the most predictable pattern. We build you into something that doesn't exist, and that means you have to try to be that thing all day, every day. That's how it works. And we do it again, and again, and again. And I'm going to tell you the truth. You're going to be attacked, betrayed, exposed and humiliated. And you'd survive that. A lot of people can climb that mountain. It's the way down that breaks them, 'cause that's the moment when you are truly alone. And what would you do then? Can you summon the will to fight on, through all the pain, and rise again? Who are you Michael? That will be the defining question of your life. And I think you already know the answer, and that's why we're all here. A shoe is just a shoe until somebody steps into it. Then it has meaning. The rest of us just want a chance to touch that greatness. We need you in these shoes not so you have meaning in your life, but so that we have meaning in ours. Everyone at this table will be forgotten as soon as our time here is up - except for you. You're gonna be remembered forever, because some things are eternal. You're Michael Jordan, and your story is gonna make us want to fly.

    • Crazy credits
      The end credits are immediately preceded by captions explaining the outcome of much of the actions in the film. They are also accompanied by scenes of Michael Jordan in various activities, including his 2009 Basketball Hall of Fame induction and Medal of Freedom award from President Obama.
    • Connections
      Featured in CBS News Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley: Episode #45.26 (2023)
    • Soundtracks
      Money for Nothing
      Written by Mark Knopfler and Sting (as Gordon Matthew Sumner)

      Performed by Dire Straits

      Courtesy of Warner Records

      By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

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    FAQ18

    • How long is Air?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 5, 2023 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Air. La historia detrás del logo
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Amazon Studios
      • Artists Equity
      • Mandalay Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $90,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $52,460,106
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $14,456,279
      • Apr 9, 2023
    • Gross worldwide
      • $90,060,106
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 51 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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