Ben Affleck has returned to directing to tell the social and cultural implications of the agreement between Nike and Michael Jordan in AIR – The story of the great leap, available in streaming from today, May 12, exclusively on Prime Video. Starring Matt Damon, Viola Davis and Jason Bateman.
AIR – The story of the great leap sanctioned the return to directed by Ben Affleck after seven years – his last effort, The law of the nightdates back to 2016. After the extraordinary success at the box office, the sport movie about the famous agreement between Nike and Michael Jordan is available from today – 12 maggio – exclusively streamed Prime Videojust over a month after its release in cinemas.
AIR – The story of the great leap: plot and cast of the film by Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck returns behind the camera to tell a typically American story, transformed by the director into an adrenaline rush towards redemption – and inevitable success. Over 80sthe newborn Nike’s basketball division – unable to withstand the competition, in the sector, from Converse and Adidas – decides to stake everything on one player, rising star Michael Jordan. Thanks to the foresight and determination of Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), the company’s marketing executive, a seemingly impossible deal becomes a reality, laying the groundwork for a epochal change in the world of the sports industry and sanctioning the beginning of an authentic cultural revolution, inextricably linked to the name of Jordan.
Watch AIR now on Prime Video
Affleck carves out for himself a minor, albeit fundamental role, namely that of Phil Knight – co-founder and CEO of Nike -, transforming the friend and colleague Matt Damon in the true engine of the narrative. AIR – The story of the great leap in fact, it is configured more like a biopic on a moment in the life of Sonny Vaccaro than a sports movie. In fact, basketball remains in the background, Michael Jordan almost never appears on stage – if not in fleeting shots from behind – while at the center of the narrative we find a man and his dream of transforming the world of sports marketing. Alongside the two friends, a cast all star in which an extraordinary one stands out Viola Davisas Deloris Jordan, Michael’s mother and the true architect of the contract – e Jason Batemanas Rob Strasser, the vice president of marketing at Nike. They then complete the cast Chris Messina (David Falk), Matthew Maher (Peter Moore, the designer who created the iconic first model of Air Jordan), Marlon Wayans (George Raveling), Chris Tucker (Howard White) and Gustaf Skarsgård (Horst Dassler). The strong point of the project, in addition to the story – told effectively and absolutely faithful to the aesthetics and mood of the 80s thanks to the screenplay by Alex Convery – and the soundtrack, composed of cult songs of the time – signed by Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, The Clash and Dire Straits, just to name a few. Affleck was then helped by his wife, Jennifer Lopezin drafting the feature film, especially as regards the cultural and social implications of an agreement that has gone beyond the boundaries of the world of sport. AIR – The story of the great leap is then produced by Affleck himself together with Matt Damon – with their production company, the Artists Equity – da Skydance Sports, Mandalay Pictures e da Amazon Studios, which exclusively distributed the film to the cinema and on its streaming platform. An unmissable film, therefore, for lovers of sport, redemption stories and director Ben Affleck – many narrative devices recall those used in ArgoAcademy Award for Best Film in 2013. Appointment then on Prime Video from now, 12 maggio.
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