"A shoe is always just a shoe until someone steps into it," a Nike marketer played by Jason Bateman says in "Air," hinting at both the challenge and achievement of the snappy comedy.
The challenge is: Will movie audiences care about corporate wonks trying to convince Michael Jordan to endorse a sneaker? There are moments in "Air" when you may think, "Does any of this matter?" or wish it did a better job of noting that one effect of the film's negotiations is that rich white men got richer off the talents of a Black man (who, of course, also made bank).
But surprisingly, "Air" sells us on the idea that the Air Jordan is about dreams and identity as much as it is about shoes.
