Analysis of the “air” Oscars: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Viola Davis

As a director, Ben Affleck has proven himself to be a versatile and compelling talent, moving seamlessly from morally complex “Gone Baby Gone” to crime drama “The Town” to tense and thrilling Best Picture winner “Argo.” Even Affleck’s one directorial misstep, the critical box office bombshell “Live by Night,” has an intriguing brilliance and conviction.

That’s why it’s so hard for many viewers to answer, “Which Affleck-led joint is your favorite?” Well, that decision could get even tougher with the arrival of “Air,” Affleck’s latest feature that premiered as a Closing Night movie at the South by Southwest Film Festival earlier this month.

“Air” tells the story of Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), marketing manager for athletic footwear and apparel supplier Nike, Inc., who seeks a deal with rookie basketball player Michael Jordan in the 1980s. Anchored by Damon’s committed leading performance – his best since “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999) – the film is an old-school “dad movie” of, you know, the kind of simple, absorbing leads that appeared on TBS and TNT before becoming an endangered species in the Hollywood era. Still, with sharp direction and dynamite performances, this is undoubtedly 2023’s first bid for one of the coveted 10 best picture spots at next year’s Oscars.

Distributed by Amazon Studios, the sports drama is the streaming giant’s biggest investment for a theatrical release. It is expected to open in over 3,000 theaters from April 5. Its main challenge is to continue to be part of the price discussion over the next 10-12 months.

People love nothing more than an underdog story, which is why the sports genre has so often resonated with audiences and, occasionally, the Oscars. According to your definition of what qualifies as a “sports movie”, there have been 17 Best Picture nominations in 95 years, with three winners: “Rocky” (1976), “Chariots of Fire” (1981) and ” Million Dollar Baby” (2004).

Elements of “Air” will draw comparisons to Bennett Miller’s “Moneyball” (2011), which mixed a look at Oakland A’s 2002 season with a wonky look at how Billy Beane embraced sophisticated sabermetry as a way to to gain an advantage over richer teams. . Plus, Damon’s sharp, witty performance calls to mind Brad Pitt’s Oscar-nominated turn as Beane, inviting viewers into a movie who may not know much or care about basketball. -ball. He’s a likeable guide through the ins and outs of basketball stars and the shoemakers who make them rich.

Highly respected in the Academy’s acting branch, as evidenced by his three career names – ‘Good Will Hunting’ (1997), ‘Invictus’ (2009) and ‘The Martian’ (2015) – Damon’s fourth name could be in its future, especially with an end-act monologue that will be meme and quoted by guy-in-laws for the next decade (creating an original screenplay contender out of debutant Alex Convery). In addition to his acting recognition, he was nominated as a producer for ‘Manchester by the Sea’ (2016) and won the original script for ‘Hunting’ with childhood friend Affleck.

A great selection for the Best Ensemble category of the Screen Actors Guild Awards, there are comedians that will appeal to different viewers.

Fresh out of her snub for “The Woman King” (2022), Viola Davis is sure to be among the potential nominees for Best Supporting Actress for her turn to Deloris Jordan, the stoic, cheerleading mother of the greatest player of them all. the temperature. Davis is already the most nominated black actress in Oscar history with four nods, including a win for “Fences” (2016), and could extend her record run.

Along with his jaw-dropping direction, Affleck has fun with his portrayal of Nike co-founder and CEO Phil Knight. Affleck steals scenes sporting a curly wig, gnarly sunglasses and a pink tracksuit that will make Halloween even more entertaining (from black costume designer Charlese Antoinette Jones, who will hopefully follow in the Oscar-winning footsteps of Ruth E. Carter).

It’s rare for a filmmaker to go for an acting wink. It was last done by Bradley Cooper for ‘A Star is Born’ (2018) and happened twice for Clint Eastwood, who was honored for ‘Unforgiven’ (1992) and ‘Million Dollar Baby’. Interestingly, no one has ever managed that in a supporting actor category, which would be the path for Affleck (filmmakers like John Huston and Erich von Stroheim have been nominated for supporting turns, but in films made by others). Still, he may have a better chance of seeking his late director’s nomination after being snubbed for “Argo.” Instead, he won his second career statuette as a co-producer alongside George Clooney and Grant Heslov.

The rest of the cast provide impressive moments, including Jason Bateman as Nike employee Rob Strasser, Julius Tennon as James, Michael Jordan’s father who was murdered in 1993, and Chris Tucker as Howard. White, the spiritually charismatic vice president of talent. Plus, my favorite is the underused Chris Messina as sports agent David Falk, delivering a Long Island version of Tom Cruise’s Jerry Maguire that never ceases to put a smile on your face.

Affleck brings together an incredible team of craftsmen, including editor William Goldenberg, creating an airy 112-minute experience. Additionally, DP Robert Richardson offers a setting that makes the viewer say, “They don’t make ’em like that anymore.”

After “Everything Everywhere All at Once” screened at SXSW in 2022 and won Best Picture at the 94th ceremony, laid-back postmortems interpreted the sci-fi comedy’s historic moment as the cue that “anything is possible” for the Oscars. While somewhat true, I’ve found that in this new era of streamers, social media, and vigorous campaigning, the release date is no longer the determining factor of Oscar success.

If the movie pulls in decent box office receipts, it could be one of the few times that consumer and critical acclaim intersect in the awards race, just as they did with “Top Gun: Maverick” from last year.

“Air” could fly just as high.