A breath of fresh 'Air'

Sneakerheads can find themselves enjoying “Air.” (photo by Madison Keel)

By Madison Keel | Photography editor

“Air” “follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan,” according to IMDB.

The film was released on April 5, 2023 and was directed by Ben Affleck, who also stars in the film as Phil Knight alongside Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro and Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan.

The film grossed $33.3 million in the United States and Canada as of April 16. It was also positively received by critics with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 92% and IMDB ranking it a 7.8/10.

I think this film is an all around good movie. The pacing of the story is excellent and with a run time of just shy of 2 hours that is an important factor. There were not any dead spots where I was waiting for the next thing to happen. I also thoroughly enjoyed the way it was filmed. It had that ‘80s vibe without taking away quality cinematography. It also had a great soundtrack to back up the time period with songs such as “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen being heavily featured.

The way the writers of “Air” decided to not focus on Michael Jordan was brilliant in my opinion. It drives home the key point made by Vaccaro in the film that people will not remember who made the shoe, but they will always remember Jordan. This rings true even today. I am admittedly biased as I am a huge basketball fan who frequently wears Jordan shoes, but I think even those who are not into the sneakers, or the sport could enjoy this film.

Overall, I would recommend this film to sneakerheads, basketball enthusiasts and those who are interested in learning a little more about the side of celebrity collabs you do not see every day.

Contact Madison Keel at mkeel@augusta.edu.

This story is published in the Monday, April 24, 2023 print edition of The Bell Ringer on page 4.