In 1984, Nike was a poor third place in the world of basketball shoes in terms of sales, behind Converse and Adidas. Current CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) and Marketing VP Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) were pressuring their basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) to find the best upcoming basketball star to be the new image model and spokesperson for Nike basketball shoes, lest they be forced to close their basketball line.
Vacarro recommended to Knight that Nike should channel their entire marketing budget of $250,000, originally meant for three athletes, to just one person -- Michael Jordan. However, 1984 NBA draft third pick Jordan had already expressed his preference to Adidas. Behind his bosses' backs, Vaccaro went to the Jordan's home in Wilmington, North Carolina to talk to Michael's mother Deloris (Viola Davis) to give Nike a chance to pitch.
Michael Jordan is one of the NBA's greatest basketball players of all time, if not THE greatest. Even those who have limited knowledge about the NBA or basketball in general would be familiar with Michael Jordan's name, his superhuman skills on the basketball court, and his association with the Nike company and the shoes which bore his name, Air Jordan. This was a historic business deal which changed the landscape of professional sports.
This film tells the behind-the-scenes story on how Nike persuaded Jordan to sign an exclusive contract with them. Since we already know the ending, it was director Ben Affleck's unenviable task to make this mundane process business process exciting for the big screen. His Oscar-caliber tech crew -- cinematographer Robert Richardson ("JFK," "The Aviator," "Hugo") and editor William Goldenberg ("Argo") -- definitely helped achieve Afleck's vision.
Even if Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker and Ben Affleck himself never really disappeared in their roles, their humorous camaraderie was infectious and made you root for them. Viola Davis may be subdued here but she was still quite intimidating. As Jordan's manager David Falk, Chris Messina was very amusing in that expletive-laden tirade of his. Matthew Maher was lovable as Peter Moore, designer of the iconic shoe and logo.
There was so much 1980s nostalgia all throughout the running time of this film. The musical soundtrack was a collection of the decade's catchiest songs -- "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits, " All I Need is a Miracle" by Mike and the Mechanics, "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper, "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen, plus "Tempted" by Squeeze for good measure. These side elements made the ride all the more engaging. 8/10.
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