air has become one of the most successful movies so far in 2023. The plot about How the link between Nike and Michael Jordan came about It won over not only fans of Her Majesty and those of sneaker culture, but the world of cinema in general.
Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 92% on its Tomatometer, while the audience score is 98%. IGN and Filmaffinity they were a bit harsher, with both portals giving it a 7/10. For Metacritic It has an 80 out of 100.
Directed by Ben Affleck and with the presence of Viola Davis, Matt Damon, Chris Tucker and the same affleck among its protagonists, the drama and biopic broke into the film market with everything.
Its scriptwriter is Alex Convery, and recently spoke about how he shaped the idea about Air.
“I’d be lying if I said I thought it would be more than just a good sample of writing that would be read around town and probably get me another paying writing job.” Convery told Complex Sneakers. “I liked the movie, but seeing the reaction during the movie was next level.”
This is how the idea of Air, the film about Michael Jordan and Nike, was forged
Convery wrote the script for Air during the pandemic, after watching The Last Dance, the Netflix documentary about Michael Jordan. “I was watching The Last Dance, like everyone else, and episode 5 has That segment about the Jordan deal and how Adidas should have gotten it, and how Converse should have gotten it, and tactical missteps.”
“Nike was kind of a third-rate jogging company at the time. This never happens but I was like ‘Oh my God! This is a movie. It is a movie!”.
The screenwriter not only focused on the issue of the Michael Jordan – Nike relationship, but also on the Jordan family. “It is probably the narrative engine of the film”, Convery acknowledged.
It took Convery about a year to write the draft of the script, “which is quite a long time.”
A Dream Team of current cinema
Ben Affleck was hooked on writing early on, then flew off to meet Michael Jordan. From day one he said he wouldn’t make the movie if Michael didn’t want to. And his Majesty gave him the go-ahead, with the key that Viola Davis played her mother, Deloris.
“When you look at the cast,” says Convery, “they’re all filmmakers in their own right. Ben, obviously, he’s directed an Oscar-winning Best Picture, he’s got an Oscar for Best Screenplay with Matt Damon). They are great producers.
“Even beyond that,” the writer continues, “Viola she’s got JuVee (the joint producer with her husband, Julius Tennon), and a fantastic, fantastic production mind. Jason Batemann He is an amazing director, writer and producer. Chris Tucker he is a writer So on…it was really cool.”
The result: the success that Air has become. The film has been in theaters since April 5, before moving to Amazon Prime Video.