Review: Affleck's 'Air' is a story of risk, revolution, and Michael Jordan

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — "Air"
3.5 out of 5 Stars
Director: Ben Affleck
Writer: Alex Convery
Starring: Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck
Genre: Drama
Rated: R for language throughout.

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) – Studio Synopsis: From award-winning director Ben Affleck, "Air" reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. This moving story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising vision of a mother who knows the worth of her son’s immense talent, and the basketball phenom who would become the greatest of all time.

Review: I knew Bryon Russell. He’d stop by the music store I worked at every week and buy a stack of rap CDs. I was aware that he was a basketball player, other customers reminded me every time he was there, but our conversations were never about sports; Not even when Michael Jordan pushed off in game six of the 1998 NBA Finals.

That wasn’t my introduction to Michael Jordan. In 1998 Jordan was ubiquitous. If you weren’t seeing his highlights on the news, you saw someone wearing his shoes. Everyone was wearing his shoes. Well, not me, I was more interested in John Fluevog winklepickers than Air Jordan sneakers. Of the two brands, one change the world and the other remains a cult oddity.

It’s almost unfathomable to think that there was a time when Nike was just a running shoe and was easily outpaced by basketball’s favored brands like the classic Converse high top and the street styling of Adidas. No one in the NBA pursued a contract with Nike. Nobody wanted to wear those shoes.

“Air” is the story of how the shoe industry was upended, reorganized, and dominated by the Air Jordan brand. It’s the kind of story that paints the protagonists as underdogs up against the worst of odds and somehow they come away looking like Cinderella. It’s the formulaic sports drama. Only this time it’s not really about sports. And that is what makes “Air” compelling.

You know how it ends, but I won’t spoil the journey.

The film features an amicable cast including Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, and Chris Tucker. Still, Matthew Maher manages to steal every scene he appears in; that’s what Maher does. Viola Davis slays as Jordan’s mother.

Alex Convery ‘s script is smart without being impenetrable. You don’t have to know anything about sports or business to follow the story. Affleck gives the narrative a nice pace. I have no idea if the narrative is an accurate depiction of what really happened. I hope it is. Jordan did more than dominate the NBA. In the scope of history, Jordan’s success on the court isn’t nearly as significant as the contents of his contract. It’s an easy watch, even if you’re disinterested in the fashion and once knew Bryon Russell. "Air" is a film about being an individual, rather than another cog in the machine. And I'm not just refering to Jordan's part in the tale. That's a punk rock story I can relate to.