The Air Jordan shoe is probably the most famous and most successful piece of footwear in American history. It was named after Michael Jordan, one of the greatest NBA players that's ever existed. However, the shoe company behind it, named Nike, agreed to make the shoe in 1984 prior to Jordan becoming that great NBA player. 1984 was the year Jordan was first drafted by the Chicago Bulls, so he hadn't amassed the incredible record that he now has. He was a shining star in college and for the NCAA, but so were a lot of others. For Nike to give him the deal that it gave was a kind of gamble, even though in retrospect Nike seemed like it got very lucky.
Directed by Ben Affleck (Argo and Good Will Hunting), and written by Alex Convery, in his feature debut, the point of this film appears to be to convey both ideas at once. On one hand, Nike is rolling the dice and betting the farm. On the other, it's getting a literal game-changer that will propel it to new heights. The film conveys both ideas by walking us through the steps involved that the company took to secure the deal. One could ask why should we care? In terms of business, there were some bold and groundbreaking aspects that make the steps involved quite notable, even if the player in question weren't Michael Jordan.
Matt Damon (The Martian and Good Will Hunting) stars as Sonny Vaccaro, a marketing executive for Nike. He's best friends with the founder and CEO. He has the ability to walk into the boss' office without even knocking or scheduling an appointment. Strangely though, he doesn't seem to be held in high regard. His office for example is the Tape Archive room, meaning he basically doesn't have an office. He also has no assistant, which most of the other executives do have. Sonny was seemingly involved during the early days of the company, which is now mostly known for its running or jogging shoes. Yet, Sonny has a passion for basketball that is beyond even the men that work in the basketball division of Nike, and his goal is to grow that division.
The only other thing known about him is that Sonny loves gambling with a possible addiction for it. One of the early scenes has Sonny gambling in Las Vegas and losing a lot of money. This possibly sets the stage for him taking risks. It doesn't establish a problem that's for him to overcome. It's meant to be a low-key indication of his personality type. His knowledge and personality type is not too far flung from Damon's role in Ford v Ferrari (2019). In that Oscar-nominated film, Damon plays a businessman also attempting to broker a deal with an athlete. Only that film was about car racing and not basketball.
Affleck co-stars as Phil Knight, the founder and CEO of Nike. Phil seems to be a bit of a quirky guy. He spouts aphorisms and drives a grape-colored car. He likes to put his bare-feet on top of his desk. He was a pretty bold businessman when he was younger, but since his company went public, he's become beholden to a board of directors. As such, it makes him not want to take risks or gamble like Sonny. If this were Ford v Ferrari, Affleck would be playing the Henry Ford role.
Unlike Ford v Ferrari, we never really get to experience the sport contemporaneously. We get to see analysis of taped footage from 1982. We don't even get to see the athlete in question, except through archival material. Michael Jordan is less a person in this narrative and is more of an idea or an ideal. The excitement of the sport is therefore kept at a distance. The only thrill comes from the conversations that are had about the sport and the business around it. The writing, the direction, as well as the performances do mine those conversations for some good humor.
Jason Bateman (Up in the Air and Juno) also co-stars as Rob Strasser, a higher executive who is essentially Sonny's boss. He's more of a proxy for Phil, but he's more in the trenches with Sonny in his attempt to grow the basketball division. He's more acutely aware of what's at stake, namely his job and livelihood. Bateman gives an incredible performance to that effect in a monologue that proves how amazing he is as an actor.
Each actor gets a scene to shine, even if they're only present for one and only one scene. Chris Tucker (Silver Linings Playbook and Rush Hour) and Marlon Wayans (Respect and Requiem for a Dream) inject their particular brand of comedy. Chris Messina who has been in the last two films that Affleck directed, that of Live By Night (2016) and Argo (2012), probably gets the flashiest role in the whole film. Messina plays David Falk, the sports agent representing Michael Jordan. If anyone remembers Jeremy Piven's character from Entourage (2004), Messina is basically playing a version of that.
Viola Davis (The Woman King and Fences) also co-stars as Deloris Jordan, the mother to Michael Jordan. She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, with her husband and her children, including Michael who is her youngest son but who at that point was 21. Much in the way that Will Smith's character behaved in King Richard (2021), it's assumed that's how Deloris behaves, except not to as a flamboyant degree and seemingly not as controlling. She's not as loud and in-your-face. She's more quiet and subtle. Unfortunately, the film isn't told from Deloris' point-of-view, unlike in King Richard, which is told from Smith's character's perspective.
It's not sure how true to reality this film settles. It's suggested that the trick of how Sonny was able to broker the deal between Nike and Michael Jordan was by circumventing David Falk and going directly to Deloris. The film then puts Deloris in the position of being a more prominent sports agent for her son than even David Falk. The film makes a joke of that basically, which if it isn't true, I still appreciate the film elevating the character of Deloris, perhaps not elevating her enough but still. The film is told from Sonny's perspective, so there's a limit to how she's elevated, but giving her more of a voice than what probably went down in real life was a good choice. She makes it clear why this film would be important, even if it weren't about Jordan, and that's about Black athletes getting their worth.
Rated R for language.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 51 mins.
In theaters.
