A NEW DRAMA starring Matt Damon centres on an unprecedented deal between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and the Nike brand back in 1984.
The movie focuses on Nike’s executive talent scout, Sonny Vaccaro (played by Damon), who is tasked by Nike’s co-founder and CEO Philip Knight (Ben Affleck), to sign up popular NBA athletes to market their brand’s sneakers.
A limited allocation (due to lower sales) allows him to sign three athletes, but Sonny is determined to change strategy by signing Jordan despite tough competition from rival brands pursuing the star.
Sonny goes behind the back of Jordan’s agent to approach his mother, Deloris Jordan (Viola Davis), to convince her to agree to a meeting, although there were better offers on the table.
He comes up with a brilliant idea – making a pair of sneakers that fit the feet of the star, but Deloris is not just any average mother managing the son’s deals and career.
She is a smart woman who ‘throws a curve ball’ at Sonny, but in the end, they manage a deal that benefits both parties – and is good enough to make a movie about.
The normally good-looking Damon sports a paunch as Sonny, and he is desperate to prove his worth by signing a then-rookie Michael Jordan while facing pressure from all corners.
His portrayal of Sonny as competitive, convincing, and daring to take risks even if it means getting the sneaker company fined because he is prepared to break the rules, is quite inspiring.
That too happens when the character is stuck in a tough position: either his plans work or he may lose his job if he fails, and worse, Nike’s fledgling division may be shut down.
He tries everything possible to land the never-done-before deal.
So, Damon tries hard to convince everyone around him – from the CEO, to the marketing people, to the shoe designer, to Jordan’s mother – to get on board with his strategy.
Damon plays the role effortlessly with great quotes that we can use in our daily lives, and he is funny, especially when the two famous best friends in Hollywood talk about Nike’s tagline: “Just do it.”
As an actor, Affleck’s quirky character is funny in a subtle way without actually doing something really out of the ordinary to make people laugh.
Meanwhile, Davis is brilliant in her role as a smart, strong mother who is not easily swayed by clever tricks or convincing talk, as she is confident in her son’s unbeatable talent.
Jordan is a central character to the plot, but strangely, all the focus is on Deloris and very little on Jordan himself.
The face of the actor playing the young Jordan isn’t shown even to the end, and he spoke just a few words, a rather unique twist for a movie in which he is the other characters’ main motivation.
However, viewers get to see some real-life footage and speeches of Jordan himself. In any case, Davis, who plays his tough mother, makes up for the “lack” of Jordan with her great performance.
Though we all know how the film ends (just google “Air Jordan”), the story keeps us interested to find out how they managed to convince Jordan (who preferred Adidas at the time) to join Nike.
As a director, Affleck does a good job with the movie.
The award-winning director brings us back to the 1980s at the beginning with all the good things about the era: music, movies, moments, and famous celebrities, before introducing Damon’s character.
Slowly, we get to know about shoe companies, branding, marketing, their challenges, and their lack of resources.
We get to see the highly competitive world of sports brands, demanding stars (and their mothers), sports agents, and not-so-supportive colleagues back in 1980.
All the characters deliver great performances.
If you love sports-themed movies and you want to know about the birth of Air Jordan, you will love this one. It’s a feel-good movie worth seeing in theatres.
The fact that Damon and Affleck are reunited on the big screen is reason enough not to miss this one. The movie released in theatres on April 6, 2023.
