Ben Affleck's Air called a "feel-good crowd-pleaser" in positive first reactions
Ben Affleck's new drama Air, which charts Nike's iconic team-up with basketball star Michael Jordan, is earning positive first reactions following its premiere at South by Southwest. In fact, it went down so well with attendees, it seems, that it landed "the biggest standing ovation" of the festival, according to Twitter.
The movie centers on Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), the real-life sneaker salesman who signed Michael Jordan to his first endorsement deal with Nike back in the '80s. While the collaboration seemed risky at the time, given Jordan's rookie status, the athlete's relationship with Nike went on to become one of the most significant celebrity endorsement deals in history, and paved the way for Nike to become the global, multibillion-dollar company we all know today.
Academy Award winner Affleck directs, working with a script from Alex Convery, and also stars in the flick as Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Chris Tucker, Jason Bateman, and Viola Davis round out the cast.
"SXSW 2023 went out on the highest note with AIR — EXCELLENT MOVIE," raved film critic Scott Mantz (opens in new tab). "A rousing, feel-good crowd-pleaser about risk, trust, confidence & family! AMAZING CAST & BEN AFFLECK directed the hell out of it! It’s a SLAM DUNK & the BEST MOVIE of the year so far, by far!"
"AIR is a lot more than I thought it would be. Endearingly funny and with a fantastic cast it's probably my favorite film from Ben Affleck. With A LOT of biopics playing at the fest, this one stands out," praised But Why Tho? writer Kate Sánchez (opens in new tab).
"Ben Affleck’s AIR is one of the best experiences I've had in a movie theater," said a reporter for The Hollywood Handle (opens in new tab). "Entertaining, Hilarious, Hopeful,
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