“Air” (2023)

Air

Grade: B

Air is an underdog story in the era of late-stage capitalism: our heroes are the fearless account executives and C.E.Bros at million-dollar corporation Nike, Inc. circa 1984, as they position themselves to become a billion-dollar corporation by signing Michael Jordan to a sneaker deal. Cheap nostalgia, sure, but only a hardcore Lebron fan would outright hate this movie. And blatant product placement, 100%, but you can’t deny that Air Jordans are a great shoe.

Director Ben Affleck is smart enough not to overcomplicate such a safe, simple and predictable storyline. Yet even though the movie gets a lot of things right — fast pace, fun soundtrack, entertaining cast — it’s hard not to feel like the film is nothing more than a two-hour advertisement. Which it ultimately is.