“You don’t win every hand.”

Going into Air, I expected most of what I had previously heard to be true. It’s a “dad” movie, the type of film that will play on cable tv in the years to come, and the kind of well crafted movie that you can pick up and enjoy at any point. However, what I didn’t anticipate was that I’d be watching one of the most romantic movies I’ve seen this year. Not in a sexual or sensual sense either; Air is romantic about ideas, creativity, partnerships, and it shows us how difficult it was to court the ultimate king of the basketball world. It’s a fast-paced, no-nonsense, deeply American picture. As it should be. This is the equivalent of Wendy’s suddenly taking over fast-food burgers.

For the behemoth it has become, Air reminds us that Nike was originally third at the table, taking in 17% of the market in 1984 (and that was mostly the jogging/running division). Nike didn’t have any legs in the basketball realm compared to Converse and Adidas. But in that void Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) saw opportunity to go all in. Not to spread the budget around multiple players, but to create a narrative and capture one of the big fishes floating around the draft. Sonny saw a drive in Michael Jordan on tape. A refusal to fail and a loath for losing. Sonny is set up as a man who’s willing to gamble and take a risk, and we come to learn that they’re calculated. But with Michael, he simply listens to his gut. He knows a shark when he sees one. All Sonny has to do is convince the mom Deloris (Viola Davis).

There’s an agility and a comfortability to the pacing of Air that’s remarkably familiar, cutting and taking big leaps with ease and no fear of rolling an ankle. Big swaths of dialogue occur on landlines and payphones. There isn’t much action outside of office settings. Even the most dramatic scenes never really feel like life or death. Maybe it’s because director/actor Ben Affleck understands that at face level this is a story about the birth of a shoe and the soul stepping into its sole, and that on a deeper level he knows this is ultimately the tale of a cultural movement and shift most fell head over hoops for. Like I said, Air romances the stone to great effect.

I imagine Air will be nominated for a couple of Oscars and a handful of Golden Globes when Awards Season arrives later this year, and I can’t imagine it’ll actually win anything. Nor should it, because Air isn’t a prestige picture. This is for the people. It’s heartwarming, winning, galvanizing, and is the only film that I’ve willingly sat through twice so far this year. The magic here doesn’t occur during or due to free throw line dunks or theatrical celebrations. Air is a celebration of the gritty process behind the movers and shakers, and it’s one hell of an entertaining film. I could watch it on a loop.

“A shoe is just a shoe until someone steps into it.”

Rating: 4 out of 5