Pros: A solid cast leads this film. Despite knowing the outcome (more or less), the screenplay is solid, detailing how Nike catered to Michael Jordan (barely shown on screen) and his family, including his powerhouse mother, Deloris (the always lovely and brilliant Viola Davis) all to save their basketball division. And thanks to the clever and quick thinking of Deloris, insisting that Nike give Michael a percentage of the profits from the shoes bearing his name which only makes sense as they would be making money off his name and yet, this wasn't common practice in the 1980s, and honestly, it may still not be today.
Cons: Honestly, while I love a good epilogue, explaining what happened to the main characters, this one went on a little long and I would have liked to have seen or heard Michael's actual opinion on Nike and what finally got him to change his mind as he was an Adidas man, the second main sneaker which controlled the industry, but he nevertheless changed his mind and the rest, they say, is history.
Recommend: Yes
Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-The all-star cast includes Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Marlon Wayans and Chris Tucker, all of whom are great.
-Chris Messina has an especially great scene in which he threatens to destroy Matt Damon, not that that comes to fruition.
-Julius Tennon, Viola Davis's real life husband, portrays her screen husband, James Jordan.
-Why do NBA shoes need to be 51% white?
-Ironically, Nike eventually would buy Converse which was the most popular sneaker brand in 1984.
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