In 1984 Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) pursues a rookie Michael Jordan to sign to their basketball division. 

Sonny has a number of challenges to overcome. Nike, whilst huge in the running shoe market are third behind Converse and Adidas in the Basketball world. CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) has concerns that the board will not go for such a reckless move for an unknown. Agent David Falk (Chris Messina) is uninterested in engaging with Nike. Jordan’s mother Deloris (Viola Davis) is aware that her son only has eyes for Adidas. Whilst fellow Nike execs Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) and Howard White (Chris Tucker) are sceptical and mildly supportive respectively. 

Air is the sort of deceptively brilliant sports movie without any actual sports that 2011’s Moneyball succeeded in being. Air barely features any basketball and requires zero knowledge of the sport. In fact any knowledge of Michael Jordan you may have is not important either. Because what Air does best is articulating the passion and love that sports inspire in people. And where Air succeeds is in the relationships and interactions between its rather superb ensemble cast and the superb way that Director Ben Affleck and Writer Alex Convery have structured the story and stitched it together. 

The film opens with a montage representing 1984. TV programmes and pop culture references that settle us in the era. And then throughout it takes great glee in focusing on idiosyncrasies of the time; telephones get a particular focus. All of this are brilliant fun little asides that keep us rooted in the time as we get to know our characters. 

Damon and Affleck are reunited again and their scenes together are spiky and fun. Whilst Bateman, Messina and Tucker all put in brilliant supporting turns around them. Messina absolutely steals the movie as an angry arrogant agent. Whilst Tucker, who has not appeared in a film for seven years is the best I have ever seen him on screen. 

On the negative side the decision to not really portray Jordan onscreen as a character in the film is a little distracting. Especially when he appears but as a background figure. But I understand the intent to focus on those who “made the deal”. 

Moneyball is still the king of the non-sports, sports movie. But at least now it has a competitor.