True Stories 62: 20s—Air

A film about the creation of the Air Jordan sneaker? Really? There was some drama there? Enough to be film-worthy?

Well, it goes to show what a decent script can do. Air [2023] by Alex Convery, tells the story of Nike marketing exec Sonny Vaccaro’s attempt to land then rookie Michael Jordan to promote their new sneaker. At the time, Nike was trailing behind Adidas and Converse in the basketball shoe market, plus the young Jordan had already expressed a preference for the Adidas and Converse shoes. But Vaccaro was convinced Jordan was the right guy to sell the new sneaker they were developing and convinced his bosses to let him pursue the basketball player—who was just starting out and was a total rookie at this point.

It seems a bit of a thin premise for a film, doesn’t it? But it ends up being pretty fun. Take a look at the trailer.

It’s interesting to think about what makes people want to tell a particular story. Don’t you wonder what it was about this story that drew the filmmakers in? I mean, it’s just a sneaker, right? Big deal.

But it actually WAS a big deal. Sneakers were becoming the hot commodity at the time and they haven’t stopped since. What used to be a just a rubber-soled shoe that you wore to play basketball in so you wouldn’t scratch the court surface, became a multi-million-dollar business. So how that happened could be of interest. And the screenwriter found a way to tell the story that allowed him to be touching, funny and inspiring.

And a key point? You never see Michael Jordan in the film. Which, also, is part of the fun.

I think the choice to have the film be about the marketing exec who had the idea to recruit Jordan as Nike’s spokesperson was a good one. Because that’s where the drama in this story lies. Vaccaro has to convince, not only Jordan, but his boss at Nike that this is a good idea. It’s kind of one of those stories about the one guy with wisdom banging his head against the corporate wall to make the powers that be see what a good idea this is. And therein lies the fun.

Also, since Vaccaro couldn’t get to Jordan on his own, he went to his parents. And Jordan’s mother, in particular, was a hard sell, but Vaccaro knew that she was the power when it came to who her son listened to, so Vaccaro courted her and her husband. And overcoming mom’s doubt is also part of the fun.

Air is a great example of how to find your way into the crux of a story. In this case, point of view is everything and it gives you a jumping off point to let us see how the story unfolds. Earthshattering? No. But two hours of real entertainment.

Next week, let’s continue our comedy bent with Cocaine Bear.

Copyright © Diane Lake

20Aug23

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