Ben Affleck made his directorial debut nearly 15 years ago with the acclaimed Boston kidnapping thriller Gone Baby Gone. Who knew the heartthrob known mostly for clunky action thrillers and few notable dramatic turns had it in him? He followed it up with another trip through the grittier side of Boston with the hit heist drama The Town. His momentum was blunted with the period drama Live By Night, but he still had some critical goodwill in the bank thanks to his performance as a cynical, aged Batman in Batman v Superman. He looked toward the Dark Knight for his next turn at the helm, tapped to write, direct and star in the solo film The Batman. We all know how that went. Affleck retired the bulky Batsuit and Robert Pattinson took over the streets of Gotham.
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Affleck is back behind (and in front of) the camera for the sneaker drama (you read that right) Air. The Amazon Studios film stars Matt Damon and Affleck as Nike executives looking to take over the NBA parquet with the perfect basketball shoe. One employee (Damon) zeroes in on a freshly drafted Michael Jordan to build their brand around. The film will focus on that story and the skepticism that an NBA rookie could shoulder such a large and costly business venture. The first trailer for Air recently dropped. Here’s a breakdown of the trailer.

A Failing Company

Amazon Studios

The trailer begins with Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) offering the grim 1984 financial numbers faced by Nike. CEO Phil Knight (Affleck) tells Damon’s Sonny Vaccaro like a disappointed dad, “I brought you in here to grow the basketball business.” Nike’s relative obscurity is pointed out by Howard White (Chris Tucker), especially when put side by side with the then-dominant Converse brand. George Raveling (Marlon Wayans) goes on to say “There’s nothing cool about Nike.” It was a very different time.

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Strasser tells Vaccaro that he needs to have a compelling pitch to bring back the flat-lining company. Vaccaro describes their advantage as their perceived weakness: a bad basketball division. A star attached to the brand could be the sole pitchman and potential superstar of sneakers. Vaccaro wants to find the “ground floor” building block of Nike.

Scouting potential Nike saviors, Vaccaro slides a VHS tape into a VCR to view incoming players’ sizzle reels when he stumbles upon the video of one player in particular. He loudly declares the player to be what the flailing brand needs. “I’m willing to bet my career on one guy,” says Vaccaro as the shot moves to him visiting with the player’s family unannounced.

Pitching the Boss

Amazon Studios

Vaccaro goes on to tell Knight that he has a feeling about the unnamed rookie that will make or break the company. There is a huge risk, but the formation of the company was a risk to begin with when Knight was selling shoes out of the back of his car. He implores Knight not to lose that spirit of taking chances and big leaps of faith.

“What’s the plan?” asks Knight. “We build a shoe line around just him,” says Vaccaro as mockups of sneakers are show strewn across a desk. Vaccaro tells the designer that he needs the greatest basketball shoe that’s ever been made. When asked who the player is, Vaccaro responds with a stern face, “Michael Jordan.”

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Knight’s purple Porche is seen flying down a street at high speeds before showing him in all his ’80s attire glory. The trailer cuts back to Jordan’s mother Deloris, played by Viola Davis, telling Vaccaro that he has their attention as she arrives at the Nike headquarters in a sleek white limousine. Knight is seen throwing up his arms in celebration followed by Vacarro pumping his fist in the same fashion.

Betting on the Brand

Amazon Studios

Vaccaro is chastised loudly over the phone for going to the Jordan home, followed by Vaccaro walking the family through the Nike headquarters. “I believe in your son,” says Vacarro, “I believe he’s the future.” He goes on to commend Jordan’s story as an inspiration to anyone who hears it, paired with an image of the now worldwide known “Air Jordan” symbol. “A shoe is just a shoe,” Vaccaro says. “Until my son steps into it,” Deloris replies.

The trailer concludes with Affleck’s Knight asking Vaccaro if he has a name down for the new brand. “Air Jordan,” replies a confident Vaccaro. Knight grimaces and shrugs saying he’s not crazy about it, but it might grow on him.

True sports stories make for great movies, and Air revolves around arguably the greatest athlete of all time. The story of Michael Jordan’s landing in the NBA, combined with a potentially strong performance from Damon and the proven hand of director Affleck gives high hopes to Air. Here’s hoping this premise can fly as high as the champion it’s based on.