Air

In the mid-80s, a Nike sneakers executive called Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) sets his sights on signing up basketball star Michael Jordan to promote the revolutionary new Air Jordan sneaker. Converse and Adidas had more money to offer, so Vaccaro drives to Jordan’s family home in North Carolina on a risky mission to bypass Jordan’s lawyers, agent and management team and instead befriend Jordan’s formidable mother, Deloris. And hopefully convey what he sees in Jordan that his competitors do not. Matt Damon gives a genial performance as Vaccaro, but really comes alive when at odds with his employers in convincing them to back him and bet a company's future on one young athlete. As well as design a shoe entirely for the basketball player – an integral part of his brand identity. The relationship between her and Vaccaro that really stand out against the backdrop of grinning, besuited execs such as Nike CEO Phil Knight (played by director Ben Affleck), marketing director Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman), Nike’s NBA liaison Howard White (Chris Tucker) and Jordan’s own comically aggressive agent David Falk (Chris Messina) But it's Michael’s mother Deloris Jordan is played by Viola Davis with all the charisma and force of a powerful and fiercely protective matriarch And clearly in charge holding all the cards in the negotiations. . That makes sure your eyes are not off the screen when she is on. An despite her short screen time. Jordan himself does not appear on screen, and is almost personification of an ideal , rather than a person. Air has an audience with diehard basketball fans, but it will also appeal to those who love stories of the underdogs and a look at company dynamics, the ethos and the gambles of the individuals behind the table that went into making the best deal of all time.