Some call it a sports drama, but it’s not: it’s a business drama through and through, and a pretty damn good one at that. A film critic by night but a marketing executive by day, the Ben Affleck-directed Air resonated with me in a big way. Bold moves to leapfrog your larger competitors? Savvy marketing and product design to resonate with your audience? Negotiations and schemings sprinkled with a few “fuck it” moments. Sold.
It helps that, story aside, Affleck has crafted a fun, efficient, and entertaining movie that takes full advantage of its stars–notably Matt Damon, with a strong supporting performance by Viola Davis. It’s relatively lighthearted and, just like Nike, focuses more on the emotional side of business than the business itself.
The one thing that didn’t work: Affleck’s creative decision to never show Michael Jordan on screen. I get the concern in trying to cast an actor to play the famed basketball player, but some scenes simply are awkward when you feel his presence but never see or hear from him.
Air is an effective and entertaining business drama that amazingly doesn’t require you to like sports or business to appreciate. It may not leap the way Michael can, but it banks two-pointers all day long.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.
