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.

Nostalgia is the only reason I can think of to explain why old friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon reteamed for a movie that so artlessly sets out to make us love shoe company Nike for buttering up a college hoops star better than Adidas or Converse.

Air grippingly examines not just the race to secure Jordan, but it fundamentally understands what it was about both the man and the brand that was so appealing.

For a created world to feel authentic and lived in, it needs relatable characters to live in it. Fortunately, “Air” boasts a stellar ensemble cast, firing from all cylinders without dropping a beat.

For many viewers, Air will be a trip into that past that revives memories.

This movie’s protagonist is like the underrated maverick genius in a specialized field that Damon played in “Ford v. Ferrari” (2019) or Brad Pitt played in “Moneyball” (2011) with a dash of let’s put on a show trope energy around preparing for the pitch.