10 December, 2023 Siobhan Marie Day 0 Comments 2 categories

Directed by Ben Affleck, Written by Alex Convery, Produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber, and Jason Michael Berman, Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Viola Davis, with Cinematography by Robert Richardson, and Edited by William Goldenberg, Production companies: Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports, Artists Equity, Mandalay Pictures, Distributed by Amazon Studios (United States), Warner Bros. Pictures (International) (2023)

The Origin of an Iconic Shoe…

Air is a 2023 biographical sports drama film directed by Ben Affleck and written by Alex Convery. The film is based on true events about the origin of Air Jordan, a basketball shoe line, of which a Nike employee seeks to strike a business deal with rookie player Michael Jordan. It stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, and Viola Davis.

Ben Affleck directing Chris Tucker in "AIR" (2023) Photo Credit: Amazon Studios

Alex Convery attends Amazon Studios' World Premiere Of "AIR" at Regency Village Theatre on March 27, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

Michael Jordan in his senior year at the University of North Carolina Photo: Focus On Sport Via Getty Images

Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro in "AIR" (2023) Photo Credit: Amazon Studios

Ben Affleck as Phil Knight in "AIR" (2023) Photo Credit: Amazon Studios

Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser in "AIR" (2023) Photo Credit: Amazon Studios

Marlon Waynes as George Raveling in "AIR" (2023) Photo Credit: Amazon Studios

Chris Messina as David Falk in "AIR" (2023) Photo Credit: Amazon Studios

Chris Tucker as Howard White in "AIR" (2023) Photo Credit: Amazon Studios

Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan in "AIR" (2023) Photo Credit: Amazon Studios

Air had its premiere at South by Southwest on March 18, 2023, and was released theatrically in the United States on April 5. The film received positive reviews from critics, particularly for Affleck’s direction, Convery’s screenplay and the performances of the cast, and has grossed $90 million worldwide on a budget of $70–90 million. The film also performed well on Amazon Prime Video streaming.

Matt Damon, Chris Tucker, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, Chris Messina and Jason Bateman at the premiere of "AIR" held at the Paramount Theater on March 18, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Photo by Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images

A marquee at Los Feliz Theater displays the poster art for "Air" on April 13, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo Credit: Associated Press

Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro and Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser in "AIR" (2023) Photo Credit: Amazon Studios

In 1984, Oregon-based Nike, Inc. is on the verge of shutting its basketball shoe division due to low sales. In response to this, Marketing VP Rob Strasser, along with co-founder and CEO Phil Knight, task Nike‘s basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro to come up with a new spokesperson for Nike basketball shoes. While considering the basketball players chosen in the 1984 NBA draft, Nike‘s executives think third pick Michael Jordan is off limits, being both a fan of Adidas and too expensive for the basketball division’s meager budget. However, once he watches Jordan’s highlights in conjunction with an Arthur Ashe commercial for his Head rackets, Vaccaro becomes convinced that Nike should pursue who he considers a generational talent, with both brand and athlete building off each other.

A scene featuring the Nike Headquarters building in "AIR" (2023) Photo Credit: Amazon Studios

Nike's Air Jordan being worn by basketball players. Photo Credit: Google Images

The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984, before the 1984–85 season. The draft is generally considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, in NBA history, with four Hall of Famers being drafted in the first sixteen picks and five overall. It included first pick Akeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The Houston Rockets won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Portland Trail Blazers, who obtained the Indiana Pacers' first-round pick in a trade, were awarded the second pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. The Cleveland Cavaliers were awarded an extra first-round draft pick as compensation for the draft picks traded away by their previous owner, Ted Stepien. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was automatically eligible for selection. Before the draft, five college underclassmen announced that they would leave college early and would be eligible for selection. Prior to the draft, the San Diego Clippers relocated to Los Angeles and became the Los Angeles Clippers. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 228 players. This draft was the last to be held before the creation of the draft lottery in 1985. It was the first NBA draft to be overseen by David Stern, who continued as the commissioner of the league for the following 30 years.

Michael Jordan in college at North Carolina. Not too often you see Jordan wearing Converse. Photo Credit: Google Images

Tennis Player Arthur Ashe's tennis racket commercial from 1984. Photo Credit: Google Images

Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck in "AIR" (2023) Photo Credit: Amazon Studios

Air is the Featured Blog of the Month for December for its real-life history! You can expect to read a detailed critique of the 2023 film, Air. You can also read a recommendation with a character synopsis. There is also a detailed review of the history of Air Jordan, including its origin that the film centers on. You can also watch an interview with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Viola Davis, with Good Morning America discussing Air. There is also a Top Ten List to commemorate the film being a Featured Blog of the Month, and for Air, the topic of the list is My Top Ten Biographical Sports Drama Movies! And finally, as a Featured Blog of the Month film, you can watch the Official Trailer for the 2023 film and then plan on watching Air tonight!