Ben Affleck Gives Nike And Air Jordan The Moneyball Treatment [SXSW 2023]

Affleck has made many great films in his career, from the pulse-pounding heist flick “The Town” to his Best Picture winner “Argo.” However, what is most interesting about “Air” is that it is, on the surface, just a movie where a group of guys talk on the phone or talk in an office building while trying to make a big deal There isn’t much action in the cinematic sense, nor is there as dramatic a kidnapping as there was in “Gone Baby Gone.” Instead, what we’re left with is a sports story that’s not really about the sport in question (in this case basketball) and, instead, about the people behind the scenes of a particular element of game.

That being the case, Affleck has no benefit of injecting the film with actual on-the-court drama to spice things up. It’s a performance art, a human act of filmmaking that lives or dies by the words on the page and the people who say those words. Fortunately, Alex Convery’s script is a compelling one and the ensemble cast is stacked in this film’s favor, almost comically. Damon is at his quiet, charming best here, while Viola Davis, perhaps the best actor walking the planet, lends her talents to a very important supporting role as Deloris Jordan, Michael’s Mom Jordan.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, as we also get great performances from the likes of Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, and, rather refreshingly, Chris Tucker. Not to mention that Affleck himself is a lot of fun as Nike founder Phil Knight. In any case, an A-list cast making a movie ostensibly about a shoe deal plays like gangbusters. It’s a real crowd-pleaser without much fancy stuff to hide the cracks in the pavement.