Air
for language throughout.
DVD: September 12, 2023
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
| Featuring |
Matt Damon … Sonny Vaccaro Jason Bateman … Rob Strasser Ben Affleck … Phil Knight Chris Messina … David Falk Viola Davis … Deloris Jordan Julius Tennon … James Jordan Damian Delano Young (Damian Young) … Michael Jordan Chris Tucker … Howard White Matthew Maher … Peter Moore Gustaf Skarsgård (Gustaf Skarsgard) … Horst Dassler See all » |
| Director | Ben Affleck |
| Producer |
Amazon Studios Artists Equity See all » |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company |
Overly vulgar and profane
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.
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
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My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½