Movie Review: The 1984 world-changing business deal
The fact you never see the face of the actor who plays Michael Jordan in the movie highlights the focus sits elsewhere. It's about big business.
Movie: AIR
Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Viola Davis
Run length: 1hr 52min
Our Rating: 7.5/10
Don’t be mistaken, this isn’t a sports movie. This is a movie about big business and how a 1984 deal changed the way athletes and big businesses now work together.
Yes, the movie is based on one of the greatest sportspeople of all time, Michael Jordan. But the fact you never see the face of the actor who plays Jordan in the movie highlights the focus sits elsewhere.
Most know about the Jordan-Nike partnership and the Air Jordan brand that sprung from that.
But this movie is an intriguing dramatization of how that unique deal actually played out in the competitive world of shoe manufacturers, alongside the likes of Adidas and Converse.
The deal dramatically changed Nike’s fledgling basketball division and to this day still makes Jordan about $400m a year in passive income.
And as outlined in the movie, Jordan has his mother to thank for setting up that deal of a lifetime.
And Nike has Sonny Vaccaro for signing Jordan before he had played in the NBA.
Interestingly the movie painted Nike and the staff involved as plucky underdogs. The reality is it involved six-figure executives and billionaire CEOs.
It’s the storyline that is what makes this a movie worth watching, but there is some star power behind it.
Ben Affleck directed the movie and also played the role of Nike founder Phil Knight. Matt Damon was the central figure in his performance as Sonny Vaccaro, while Jason Bateman played the role of Nike staffer.
It’s well worth a watch if you enjoy docudramas, particularly if you are fascinated by business.