Air reviews

[Sabin]

It's not Moneyball. There's a grace missing. But it's an entertaining, snappy two hours of credible wheeling-dealing process. Besides, more movies should try to be Moneyball anyway. Ironically, it falters when it's trying to do anything with the actual mythology of Michael Jordan and I'm a little bothered by what a corporate wank job it is.

I think this year would have to underwhelm for Air to show up in the ten but that seems to be par for the course these days. It might start looking better as offerings later in the year invariably disappoint. One person who won't get nominated is Matt Damon although I'm struggling to think of another actor who could pull this kind of thing off. It's been a quarter century since Good Will Hunting and he's still the best there is at playing a down-to-earth smartest guy in the room. Dude makes it look easy.

[Big Magilla]

Now streaming on Amazon Prime where I caught up with it.

Sharply written, and extremely well-acted by Matt Damon, Viola Davis and Matthew Maher as the shoe's designer, but I found most of the other actors annoying, especially Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, and Chris Tucker. Affleck's direction is merely serviceable.

Could be a fill-in Oscar nominee for Best Picture if other more highly anticipated films falter. Damon is a possibility for Best Actor, but at this point I see him as a long shot. Davis' character is terrific but it's a small part. She will undoubtedly be nominated again for something, but this doesn't look like one on her road to catching up with Judi Dench.

[Mister Tee]

Among the many things missing from our recent movie environment has been movies like Air: sharply-written, snappy, well-acted films on grown-up subjects. It's no narrative breakthrough, and it doesn't have the giddy highs some of us find in the best Sorkin dialogue-fests. And, as dan notes, the story outcome is well known to us (even if we weren't, Damon's climactic speech illustrates all that followed). But it's still engaging in a way few movies of the past few years have been. My regular filmgoing companion said she couldn't remember the last movie we saw together that she flat-out liked this much. I wouldn't say it flies as high as, say, Moneyball, but I way prefer it to something like King Richard, if only for its avoidance of sanctimony.

The actors are all solid. Bateman, Messina and Tucker contribute at highest levels in their limited scenes. Viola Davis pretty much crushes her scenes. And Matt Damon continues to be an actor who enriches every movie he's ever in, despite never delivering the kind of ostentatious performance we know is required to win industry prizes these days.

As for, is it an Oscar movie?...under the classic slate-of-five, certainly not: it doesn't have the heft for that designation (not to say every nominee of the 5-era did). But in a year where 10 is mandated? I'd have slated this film over probably 50% of nominees in the past few Oscar contests (Maverick, Avatar, Elvis, Nightmare Alley, CODA, Don't Look Up...and that's just warming up). Air may have the ill luck to have come along in a far more competitive year, and thus be denied the honors those inferior offerings received. But that's okay. To have a movie this solid be just second-tier would bespeak a much-improved movie landscape. Whatever: I'm happy to salute a fully professional effort that remembers adults like movies, too.

[danfrank]

Air is an entertaining enough film: well-paced, charming actors, fun 80s visuals. Because everyone knows the outcome it’s difficult to build suspense, though watching it unfold is fairly compelling. Matt Damon is the center and carries the film, and Viola Davis is riveting every time she’s on screen. This is NOT Oscar material in my eyes, though these days who knows?

[Sabin]

Looks like a lot of fun. Also interested in the BlackBerry film.

[Mister Tee]

Looks to be a huge crowd-pleaser, with enough star power to potentially break through the "audiences aren't there for non-franchise movies" barrier.

https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/a ... 235558689/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 235356044/

https://deadline.com/2023/03/air-review ... 235301706/