Some things are just made to go together, and one makes the other that little bit better. Popcorn and cinemas, cheese and crackers, biscuits with a hot cup of tea.
Add to that list Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, as the two of them are absolutely at their best when put together. Since making their mark with Good Will Hunting, the pair have gone on to become two of the biggest names in Hollywood, so you just know that putting the two of them back together is a recipe for something special.
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the movie release radar of late, you might have heard about a new release called AIR. Should the fact that it brings Matt and Ben back together isn’t enough to pique your interest, it’s 100 per cent debut on Rotten Tomatoes should give you an inkling about how excited you should be to see it when it’s released in cinemas nationwide on 5th April.
Affleck and Damon know all the right notes to play when telling this story. When it comes to finding the right balance between comedy and drama, there are few out there who can do it better or more consistently than this pair of award winners.
What’s it about?
The story centres around a sportswear manufacturer looking to bring their brand back to life and put all of their faith in a rookie basketball player being the face of their new product.
The brand? Nike.
The player? Michael Jordan.
You’ve probably guessed it (unless you’ve been living under a rock since the 1980s), but the product we’re talking about is none other than Air Jordan. A worldwide phenomenon from the off and still one of the most popular shoes on earth, it’s hard to imagine it now but deciding to make them was a massive gamble at the time.
Nike’s basketball division was fledging, and there was an opportunity for them to tap into the enormous popularity of the NBA. Converse had already signed up superstars like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, whereas Adidas was attracting some of the hottest prospects straight out of the draft.
Sonny Vaccaro (Damon) was an executive with Nike, and up to the mid-80s he hadn’t had much success recruiting top players to the brand. He did however see something special in a then-unheard of rookie by the name of Michael Jordan, and had a pretty considerable task on his hands getting others to feel the same.
He had such a strong belief in the young player that he effectively put his entire career on the line for him. In an unprecedented move, Sonny suggests that Nike create a brand-new shoe specifically designed for Jordan.
The deal not only ended up being a financial success, but was ground-breaking both inside and outside the world of basketball and a cultural sensation that echoed through the decades. A game changer for the NBA, Jordan, and Nike alike, there are very few handshakes to have had the same kind of lasting impact as the one that sealed Air Jordan.
Why you need to be excited about it
It’s a success story that stays with you long after the credits roll. You need top quality talent to be able to tell it properly and make the audience really buy into it, and who better than Affleck and Damon?
This is the first time that Affleck is directing Damon in the leading role. The rest of the lineup is just as stand-out with Viola Davis, Marlon Wayans, Jason Bateman, Gustaf Skarsgård, Julius Tennon and Chris Tucker also among the stellar cast.
One of Michael Jordan’s only requests for the movie was that Academy Award winner Viola Davis play his mother. Given that Deloris Jordan’s unstoppable belief in her son helped elevate his career, she is one of the true stand-out characters of the story.
Not everybody knew how much of a superstar Michael Jordan would turn out to be (other than probably Michael and Deloris), and fewer still thought Air Jordan was a good idea.
Just like how movies like the aforementioned Good Will Hunting were game-changers of their time, the partnership formed between Jordan and Nike will always be remembered as one of the most shrewd business deals of all time, with it bringing in around $5 billion last year alone.
Not that you should just take our word for it. Check out the trailer below for AIR, which is set to fly into cinemas across Ireland on 5th April.
Some icons are meant to fly. Learn all about the moving story of how Nike Air Jordan came to be by booking your tickets to see AIR now here.
Topics: Ireland
Shane Winckworth