In 1984, despite its popularity, Nike was struggling to stand out ahead of Converse, which held 56% of the market share, followed closely by Adidas. The company was looking for a partnership with a young basketball star to boost its sales and enhance its presence among fans of this very popular sport.
Nike will turn to talent scout and basketball guru Sonny Vaccaro for its marketing needs. The film Air retraces the tireless efforts of the man, embodied by Matt Damon, to convince the young rookie Michael Jordan to sign a partnership in order to create a model of shoes in his name.
Faced with the athlete’s reluctance, Vaccaro will decide to take it by the feelings by going to negotiate directly with his mother, Deloris Jordan, played by Viola Davis. With a budget of just $250,000 for the partnership, Vaccaro will also have to convince his own colleagues – including Nike CEO Phil Knight, played by Ben Affleck – of the importance of betting everything on one player, rather than three stars. as Nike had in mind.
Supported by a soundtrack with sounds from the 1980s, the film thus traces the genesis of the Air Jordans, a model of shoe that still brings in nearly $400 million a year for Michael Jordan.
Rather than the athlete, who we hardly see on screen, the character of Matt Damon is the real star of this sixth feature film by Ben Affleck, who finds his sidekick two years later. The last duel (The Last Duel) and 25 years later Good Will Hunting. The film also stars Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker and Marlon Williams.
