Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company
Today’s Prayer Focus

Air

also known as “AIR,” “Air - Der große Wurf,” “Air - Harc a legendáért,” “Air - La storia del grande salto,” “Air Jordan,” “Air エア,” “Air: A História Por Trás do Logo,” “Air: La Historia destrás del Logo,” See all »
MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA) for language throughout.
Moral Rating: Avoid
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults
Genre: Biography Drama
Length: 1 hr. 51 min.
Year of Release: 2023
USA Release: April 5, 2023 (wide release—3,507 theaters)
DVD: September 12, 2023
Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Companyclick photos to ENLARGE Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company
Relevant Issues

This film is about efforts made in the 1980s by Nike, Inc., an American multi-billion dollar, multinational corporation engaged in the design, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. It is headquartered in the Portland, Oregeon metropolitan area.

Based on a true story of marketing efforts behind the scenes

NBA basketball player endorsement

Air Jordan shoes

Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company
Featuring Matt DamonSonny Vaccaro
Jason BatemanRob Strasser
Ben AffleckPhil Knight
Chris MessinaDavid Falk
Viola DavisDeloris Jordan
Julius TennonJames Jordan
Damian Delano Young (Damian Young) … Michael Jordan
Chris TuckerHoward White
Matthew MaherPeter Moore
Gustaf Skarsgård (Gustaf Skarsgard)Horst Dassler
See all »
Director Ben Affleck
Producer Amazon Studios
Artists Equity
See all »
Distributor

Overly vulgar and profane

Copyrighted, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company

Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), a shoe salesman at Nike, works to sign rookie Michael Jordan to a deal to wear their shoes.

In 1984, Oregon-based Nike, Inc. is on the verge of bankruptcy due to low footwear sales. In response to this, Marketing VP Rob Strasser, along with co-founder and CEO Phil Knight, task Nike's basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro to come up with a new pitch for a shoeline based on current American sports. While considering the basketball players chosen in the 1984 NBA draft, Nike's executives think third pick Michael Jordan is off limits, being both a fan of Adidas and too expensive for the basketball division's meager budget. But once Vaccaro watches Jordan's highlights in conjuction with an Arthur Ashe commercial for his Head rackets, he becomes convinced Nike should pursue who he considers a generational talent, with both brand and athlete building off each other.”

  • Profane language: Very Heavy— • “Jesus Christ” (1) • “Jesus” (1) • “G*d-damn” (1) • “G*d” (2) • “D*mn” (14) • “H*ll” (10) • “Holy sh*t”
  • Vulgar/Crude language: Extreme— • F-words (52 or more), sometimes used sexually and once as “motherf**ker” • S-words (20) • “A**hole” (4) • “A**” (3) • “P*ss” (2) • Letters of brand names Puma and Adidas are jokingly converted to sexual phrase acronyms • “I will chew your f***ing nuts.” • “Balls” (male genitals) • Comment about herpes
  • Nudity: • Full male front nudity shown twice on classical-style statue
  • Sex: • Song lyrics seem to reference masturbation • In a convenience store the top portion of two magazines are seen “Hustler” and “Playboy” (photos are covered) • Hand gesture made mocking male masturbation
  • Drugs/Alcohol: • Reference to drug use in song lyrics • People drink beer
  • Other Vulgarity: • Man says he has to “sh*t” and appears to be defecating in a restroom stall (not graphic) • Man uses urinal (not graphic)
  • Violence: Minor

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—“Air” is a great modern movie with tons of ‘80s nostalgia! A great history lesson as well as it is based on a true story about a shoe company. It is sure to be a hit among basketball fans, as it is funny. However, there is foul language (meaning 69 f-words) so therefore it is only acceptable for mature audiences, as I will have to label it as “Offensive”. Some lines were funny as well, and Matt Damon is a great actor as always.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Tommy, age 21 (USA)
Neutral
Neutral—Matt Damon’s performance as a Nike shoe salesman who wanted Nike to be a household name was entertaining. Ben Affleck took a story that was not particularly interesting in itself and turned it into an interesting feature film about the production of the Nike shoe line, starring his friend, Matt Damon. Not an exciting movie, but I was able to sit through the two hours. I went to see Matt Damon, and I was glad that I did, and I learned something about the production of a famous shoe.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Halyna Barannik, age 77 (USA)

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

Secular Movie Critics
…This film winds up looking like the most expensive in-house corporate promo in history: shallow, parochial and obtuse. By the time the credits roll, we’re apparently supposed to be euphoric – not so much at individual sporting achievement, but at all the billions of dollars that Nike has been making. …
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (UK)
…If you love movies about process, about people who are good at their jobs, then you’ll find yourself enthralled by the film’s many moments inside offices, conference rooms, and production labs. …
Christy Lemire, Roger Ebert.com
…Ben Affleck and Matt Damon drop the ball in Michael Jordan shoe drama… Jordan himself does not appear on screen, which is an interesting and legitimate artistic decision, but his mother, the most compelling character, is reduced to a cameo. …[2/5]
Betsy Reed, The Guardian
…It’s far and away the most likable film released so far this year. …most appealing is the story of the scrappy way a bona fide piece of modern Americana came to be — it’s a retail tale of tales — and how much quirky fun “Air” has with dramatizing what is essentially a series of events at an office building. …
Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post
…mild drama out of a sneaker origin story… There are some sinister notes in there, too. Is this really where we’ve found ourselves: trying to wring emotion out of simple, cynical tales of branding? Well, yes, of course that’s where we are, here at the end of everything. …
Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
…It plays like pure television by an Aaron Sorkin disciple, and there is no reason whatsoever to see this on the big screen. …
Kyle Smith, The Wall Street Journal
…It’s hard to land on a reason for any of this to exist beyond a goosing up of Nike’s own image. …The success of this star-studded sports film depends on how willing audiences are to discard Michael Jordan as a person in favour of Michael Jordan as an idea… [2/5]
Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent [UK]