Air

Air is a quick-paced entertainer with glib dialogue, humour and a wonderful sense of nostalgia for the 1980s.

Once you’ve made peace with those really narrow parameters, what you see on screen – ie virtually nothing of Jordan himself – kind of works.

There’s not an ounce of fat on this film’s physique, and Affleck keeps the pace moving even though everything that’s happening is entirely driven by the dialogue.

Affleck is a fine actor and a better-than-fine director. As an actor since childhood, his skill at selecting the right actors and allowing them to do their best is to be expected. He also has an exceptional sense of narrative structure.

Affleck, the cast, crew and script put you in a time capsule and take you back to the ’80s.

Ben Affleck's got a great feel for this real-life stories.

AIR is a POWERFULLY moving story about hoops & dreams. With an ALL-STAR cast and SLAM DUNK script, it is this year’s first Best Picture contender.

Armed with a phenomenal cast, Ben Affleck deftly directs this tale of Nike’s basketball division trying to sign a young Michael Jordan, in what would be a game-changing move for the worlds of sport, shoes and athletic marketing.

This isn't a story about MJ's achievements so much as it is a tale of a plucky billion dollar company extending a minuscule percentage of its largesse to the player that would become arguably the greatest of all time.

Air is just a good movie. Affleck’s directorial skills cannot be denied, but the movie likely left a lot on the table.