---
title: "Air"
year: 2023
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/air"
fi1m_id: "air"
imdb_id: "tt16419074"
tmdb_id: 964980
wikidata_id: "Q115625646"
fi1m_score: 70
critics_score: 72
critics_reviews: 19
published: "2026-09-10"
updated: "2026-10-06T10:36:48.517633+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Air (2023)

Directed by Ben Affleck · 1h 52m · MPA R · Drama, History, Sport

## Identity

Air

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/air
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** air
- **IMDb ID:** tt16419074
- **TMDB ID:** 964980
- **Wikidata ID:** Q115625646
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16419074/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/964980, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q115625646

**Fi1m score: 70** · Critics 72 from 19 reviews

*In a sentence:* Nobody dribbles a ball, everybody shouts down a phone, and somehow we cared who got the shoe contract

> Ben Affleck’s account of how Nike signed Michael Jordan is quick, funny and well played, with Matt Damon and Viola Davis at their most watchable. It is also a corporation’s story told the corporation’s way, and the man it is about never shows his face.

## Synopsis

It is 1984 and Nike’s basketball division is losing money, players and patience. Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), the scout who signs the company’s athletes, wants to spend the whole year’s endorsement budget on a single rookie from North Carolina who has not yet played a professional game: Michael Jordan. His boss Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) thinks he is mad, the founder Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) has other things on his mind, and Jordan’s agent David Falk (Chris Messina) will not take the call. So Vaccaro drives to Wilmington to speak to the player’s mother, Deloris (Viola Davis), in person. Chris Tucker and Matthew Maher play Nike colleagues; Affleck directs from a script by Alex Convery.

## Review

Ben Affleck has made a film about a shoe. In 1984 Nike’s basketball division is the runt of the company, trailing Converse and Adidas, and Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), the scout who signs its players, wants to bet the year’s whole budget on one rookie from North Carolina who has yet to play a professional game. Alex Convery’s script follows him from a beige office in Beaverton to the Jordans’ front door in Wilmington and back. It is a fast, funny, well-played 112 minutes. It is also a film about a corporation admiring its own nerve, and it asks us to admire along with it.

Damon carries it with a paunch and a bad haircut, sweating through his shirts and eating from vending machines in the car park, a man who has been right about players for years and never been paid for it. Jason Bateman plays Rob Strasser, the marketing head, tired and decent, worried about his job and about a daughter he sees at weekends. Affleck gives himself Phil Knight, the founder, who pads about barefoot, drives a purple Porsche and quotes Buddhist maxims at people who want a decision, and he plays him as a man who runs a company by seeming not to. Chris Messina’s David Falk, the agent, exists to shout obscenities down a telephone, and every one of them landed with us.

Viola Davis plays Deloris Jordan, the mother, and does it mostly by listening. In the Wilmington scenes she sits across a table from Damon while he talks, and her face tells us how much of it she believes, which is about half. The film’s best stretch is the pitch in Beaverton, when Damon abandons the slides and simply talks to the family, and we admit our throats tightened. Then we remembered what we were being stirred by, which was the market share of a sportswear company, and we felt a little foolish, and the film had already moved on to the next joke.

Robert Richardson shoots it in soft amber light, so that even the fluorescent offices look like a memory of themselves, and there is scarcely a hard shadow in the film. François Audouy dresses Nike’s basketball division in low ceilings, corkboards and cardboard boxes, so the company about to conquer the world is housed like a regional insurance firm. Charlese Antoinette Jones puts Damon in short-sleeved shirts a size too small and Affleck in a lilac tracksuit, and both tell us more than a page of dialogue would. William Goldenberg cuts the telephone calls as duels, both ends in frame, and keeps the whole thing moving at the speed of a good sales call. The soundtrack is one hit of the period after another, cued so often that by the halfway point it works like a laugh track.

Michael Jordan is played by Damian Young, and we never see his face. He is a pair of shoulders in a doorway, a figure at the far end of a table. It is a defensible choice, since the man himself is more famous than any actor could be, but it means the person the deal is about is the one person with no say in the film. Everyone who does speak became rich. The film knows this. It gives Bateman a speech about a shoe being just a shoe, and Damon a line about who ends up exploited, and then it lets them say it and goes back to the deal. A brief detour to the Dassler family at Adidas, with Gustaf Skarsgård and Barbara Sukowa around a boardroom table, is played for laughs and over in a minute.

[*Moneyball*](https://film.one/film/moneyball) (2011) was about a man who was right and lost anyway, and it is a better film because of that. *Air* is about men who were right and won, and it knows the outcome so well that it cannot pretend the odds were long. Affleck directs it cleanly, in rooms, without a shot you would remember on the way home. He is good with his actors. He is less interested in anything they are not saying.

It carries a 15, almost entirely for Messina’s telephone manner, and it runs 112 minutes without a slack stretch. Take someone who dislikes sport; nobody plays basketball in it and they will have as good a time as you. Do not come out believing the people on screen were the underdogs.

*Fi1m score 70, published 10 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like Air, and the spread is narrow: nearly everyone finds it entertaining, and the disagreement is over whether entertaining is enough. The praise clusters on the cast. Matt Damon’s Sonny Vaccaro is singled out repeatedly as the film’s centre, Viola Davis’s Deloris Jordan is the performance most often called its strongest, and the easy back-and-forth between Damon and Affleck comes up again and again. Affleck’s direction is credited with pace and snap, and the dialogue gets more mentions than the plot.

The reservations cluster elsewhere. Several reviews note that Michael Jordan himself is kept almost entirely off screen, and are divided on whether that is a smart choice or a hole. The Telegraph calls it a two-hour footwear advertisement, well made all the same. The New Yorker finds it hermetic and shallow about its people. The lone outright dissent is The Guardian, which sees a corporate drama that flatters its boardroom and turns Jordan into a commodity.

## Straight answers

**Is Air worth watching?**

*Air* is worth watching as a quick, funny, well-played account of how Nike signed Michael Jordan, and we scored it 70. Matt Damon and Viola Davis carry it, and nobody plays basketball, so it suits people who dislike sport as much as those who follow it. Do not expect it to question the corporation whose story it tells.

**How long is Air, and what is it rated?**

*Air* runs 1h 52m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and history film.

**Where can I watch Air in the US?**

*Air* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to buy from Amazon Prime Video from $14.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Air, and is it suitable for children?**

*Air* has no violence to speak of and nothing frightening; its 15 certificate comes almost entirely from Chris Messina's agent shouting obscenities down a telephone. It is a film of offices, boardrooms and phone calls, so the only thing to keep younger children away is the swearing. Teenagers who can take that will be fine.

**How does Air compare to Moneyball?**

*Air* and [*Moneyball*](https://film.one/film/moneyball) share the same faith in one man's judgement against his doubting employers, but *Moneyball* is the better film because its hero loses. *Air* knows its heroes won and cannot pretend the odds were long, so it plays as a corporation admiring its own nerve. Choose *Air* for jokes and pace, *Moneyball* for the conversations.

**What should I watch after Air?**

After *Air*, try [*Moneyball*](https://film.one/film/moneyball) (2011, Fi1m 83): The same faith in one man’s numbers, with a better ending because he loses. Then [*Jerry Maguire*](https://film.one/film/jerry-maguire) (1996, Fi1m 81): An agent, a client, a telephone and a great deal of shouting about money; and [*Hoop Dreams*](https://film.one/film/hoop-dreams) (1994, Fi1m 92): Two Chicago teenagers chase the career Air only gestures at; three hours, none wasted.

### Reviews we read (28)

- **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it an enormously entertaining corporate drama that ingeniously captures the spiritual and cultural significance of the Air Jordan deal, highlighting the era's pop culture and the characters' midlife pathos. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/in-ben-afflecks-air-michael-jordan-might-as-well-be-god.html)
- **Little White Lies**, Hannah Strong (3/4/4): Affleck's film focuses on the creation of the Air Jordan sneaker and themes of excellence and perseverance rather than Jordan himself. It praises the energetic pace, snappy humour and strong casting, particularly the Damon-Davis scenes. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/air)
- **Radio Times**, James Mottram (4/5): Infectious 1980s-set tale of Nike turning its fortunes by signing Michael Jordan to endorse trainers. The film belongs to Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro, with a sublime cast, period nostalgia and absorbing exploration of money, power, race and class. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-b1942z/air/)
- **Screen Daily** (80/100, inferred): A crowd-pleaser made with panache and smarts about Nike courting rising star Michael Jordan to reverse its fortunes. Matt Damon is immensely appealing and Ben Affleck produces one of his most irresistibly entertaining dramas, honest about the cutthroat sports business. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/air-review/5180374.article)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): Ben Affleck’s throwback dramatisation of Nike’s attempts to sign Michael Jordan positively floats along on crackling dialogue and strong performances, especially Affleck as Phil Knight. It harks back to more innocent times while acknowledging capitalist realities. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/air-2023)
- **The AV Club**, Ray Greene (B): The review praises the slick, well-acted look at the Nike pursuit and strong performances, especially from Damon and Davis, but criticizes it for not being quite a slam dunk and issues with portraying Jordan and racial dynamics. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/air-movie-review-ben-affleck-michael-jordan-1850289778)
- **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (70/100, inferred): Affleck’s perky new movie is a period piece telling the origin story of the Nike Air Jordan as a love letter to consumerism wrapped in a corporate legend and feelgood workplace comedy. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/2d925422-b0e8-4959-887f-5ad6a675e20a)
- **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin (3/5): It is a consistently watchable and well-acted entertainment, or at least a two-hour footwear advertisement convincingly disguised as one. The clunky textures of the 1980s business world are nicely captured. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/air-review-ben-affleck-matt-damon-almost-make-care-shoe/)
- **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (50/100, inferred): The film is agreeable and well-acted with an unusual heroic story, but it is hermetic, superficial, and focuses too closely on protagonists without providing broader context or depth about characters. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/air-reviewed-its-fun-to-spend-time-with-these-people-but-we-dont-know-much-about-them)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (40/100, inferred): The film is an engaging but ultimately disingenuous corporate drama that prioritizes boardroom back-slapping over substance. It fails to give Michael Jordan a voice, turning him into a mere commodity. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/apr/09/air-review-ben-affleck-slippery-tale-of-how-nike-signed-michael-jordan-matt-damon)
- **Empire**, Nick de Semlyen: Affleck's Nike thriller makes you care about the origin of a pair of basketball shoes and is gripping, with strong performances from the cast including Matt Damon and Viola Davis. It is a crowd-pleaser powered by kicky dialogue but has a bit of a Michael Jordan problem as the legend remains oddly invisible. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/air/)
- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan: The film is a disingenuous ode to Eighties capitalism that plays it too safe but is annoyingly watchable and a blast, with standout work from Matt Damon and Viola Davis. Affleck wishes he was David Fincher but is plausible as a pillock in his supporting role. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/air-movie-review-michael-jordan-ben-affleck-matt-damon-b1074548.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang: Affleck’s shrewd and hugely enjoyable movie is an ode to the art of the landmark endorsement deal, deftly complicating ideas of destiny and history while delivering breezy corporate brinkmanship and strong performances. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-04-05/air-review-ben-affleck-matt-damon-michael-jordan-nike)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Lovia Gyarkye: The critic finds the film affectionate and involving thanks to its starry cast and the dynamic between Damon and Affleck, but notes it fails to fully convince in its dramatic aspirations, particularly with underdeveloped characters like Deloris Jordan. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/air-review-ben-affleck-matt-damon-viola-davis-1235356044/)
- **The i Paper**, Christina Newland: Ben Affleck's film is a compelling and gut-bustingly funny Nike origin story that reunites him with Matt Damon and echoes the tone of Jerry Maguire. It succeeds through strong performances, especially from Viola Davis and Affleck himself as Phil Knight, despite the premise of a corporation becoming even bigger. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/air-review-ben-affleck-nike-origin-story-jerry-maguire-2257492)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis: The critic finds the film ridiculously entertaining despite being about shoes, praising its frothy amusement and the way it highlights the larger racial stakes in a late confrontation between characters. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/04/movies/air-movie-review.html)
- **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★☆): Delivered with dazzling aplomb, it is held together by galvanising turns from Damon and easygoing chemistry with Affleck. The best bits are the interpersonal fireworks between the leads. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/air-film-review-matt-damon-ben-affleck-fm8s0nknh)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (Critic's Pick): Affleck turns the Nike quest into an entertaining anatomy of a business deal like this generation’s Jerry Maguire, with a focus on Viola Davis’s powerful performance as Jordan’s mother and the racial dynamics of the story. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/air-review-ben-affleck-michael-jordan-1235558689/)
- **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (B+): The critic calls the film one of the best of 2023 so far and praises Affleck's direction for turning boardroom negotiations into an enthralling, gripping story despite the known ending. Strong ensemble performances, especially from Damon, Affleck, Bateman, and Davis, are highlighted as key strengths. [Read](https://collider.com/air-movie-review/)
- **Deadline**, Valerie Complex (80/100, inferred): Affleck exceeds expectations as director and actor in this ensemble-driven story of the Air Jordan deal. The critic highlights the strong performances across the cast and the script's energy, while noting Delores Jordan's key role in negotiating the groundbreaking royalty deal. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/04/air-review-matt-damon-viola-davis-ben-affleck-sxsw-1235301706/)
- **/Film**, Ryan Scott (8/10): An earnest, good, performance-driven crowd-pleaser that feels like a Moneyball-style take on the behind-the-scenes story; welcome return for Affleck behind the camera. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1232297/air-review-ben-affleck-gives-nike-and-air-jordan-the-moneyball-treatment-sxsw-2023/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Scott Davis (4/5): Fuelled by Affleck's propulsive direction and Damon's stellar everyman performance at the centre, Air is a slam dunk crowd-pleaser that is as durable and wonderful as the shoes it depicts. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/air-review/)
- **Polygon**, Joshua Rivera (80/100, inferred): The review calls the film terrific and singles out Chris Messina's standout performance as a volatile, jerky agent as one of 2023's finest movie assholes. It praises how the movie uses irony and the supporting cast to explore themes of corporate exploitation, labor value, and cultural impact around the Air Jordan deal. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/23674734/air-movie-chris-messina-michael-jordan-agent/)
- **The Playlist**, Matthew Monagle (B): A yeoman work from Affleck that functions as a competent sports movie with good performances and strong dialogue while also serving as a thinly veiled industry manifesto about breaking conventional models. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/air-review-ben-affleck-sxsw-20230319/)
- **Consequence** (B-): The review views the film primarily as a tribute to Michael Jordan that fails to get off the ground due to shallow character development and an over-reliance on hero worship. It notes the smart choice to keep Jordan off-screen and praises Viola Davis's nuanced performance as his mother. [Read](https://consequence.net/2023/04/air-review-ben-affleck-michael-jordan/)
- **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (70/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a glossy, self-aware corporate origin story that offers light, satisfying pleasures through strong pacing and performances but ultimately valorizes powerful brands and executives with limited subversion or depth. Affleck's gift for working with actors and the chemistry between him and Damon are noted positively. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2023/04/05/movies/air-movie-review-michael-jordan-shoe-ben-affleck-matt-damon)
- **Eye for Film**, Andrew Robertson (65/100, inferred): The film is carried by its excellent cast delivering strong performances, but as corporate hagiography it gets positive traction by selling its soul and does not quite clear the bar set by the best sporting biopics. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/air-2023-film-review-by-andrew-robertson)
- **Den of Geek**, Don Kaye (3.5 out of 5): The critic finds the film an entertaining slice of sports marketing history buoyed by a sterling cast and confident direction from Affleck. They single out Viola Davis’s powerful closing monologue for elevating the story from a tale of sneaker deals into something deeper about self-worth. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/air-review-ben-afflecks-michael-jordan-movie-makes-the-net/)

## Details

- **Director:** Ben Affleck
- **Director:** Ben Affleck
- **Writer:** Alex Convery
- **Cinematography:** Robert Richardson
- **Editor:** William Goldenberg
- **Production design:** François Audouy
- **Costume design:** Charlese Antoinette Jones
- **Producer:** Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jason Michael Berman
- **Cast:** Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro; Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser; Ben Affleck as Phil Knight; Chris Messina as David Falk; Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan; Julius Tennon as James Jordan; Damian Young as Michael Jordan; Chris Tucker as Howard White
- **Runtime:** 1h 52m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 5 April 2023
- **Genres:** Drama, History, Sport
- **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 2023)
- **Budget:** $80 million
- **Box office:** $90 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Euy4Yu6B3nU

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: free, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-10.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, TH, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Moneyball* (2011), Fi1m 83: The same faith in one man’s numbers, with a better ending because he loses. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/moneyball.md)
- *Jerry Maguire* (1996), Fi1m 81: An agent, a client, a telephone and a great deal of shouting about money. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/jerry-maguire.md)
- *The Founder* (2016): Michael Keaton takes a burger stand from two brothers; the deal film without the warmth.
- *The Damned United* (2009): Michael Sheen’s Brian Clough bets everything on himself at Leeds and pays for it.
- *Hoop Dreams* (1994), Fi1m 92: Two Chicago teenagers chase the career Air only gestures at; three hours, none wasted. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/hoop-dreams.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/air