Ben Affleck’s new film Air, which he directs and stars in, begins like a love letter to the 1980s. Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing wails on the soundtrack, as a montage flashes past the audience's eyes: clips from Beverly Hills Cop and Ghostbusters are mixed in with pictures of former US president Ronald Reagan and the lasagne-loving cartoon cat Garfield.
It couldn’t be a more 80s-centric sequence if it’d put on leg warmers. Still, it’s an energetic way to launch this engaging tale about one of the biggest corporate coups of the decade.
AIR
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The year is 1984 and the setting is America’s Pacific Northwest, at sports shoe company Nike's headquarters. In the world of professional basketball, they have a measly 17 per cent market share — meaning all the major players from the NBA sign with rival brands like adidas and Converse. Nike is seen as a running shoe for white middle-class Americans, not one supported by many basketball pros — many of whom were black and working class.
In charge of changing that is Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), regarded at the company as the “Mr Miyagi of high school basketball” for his knowledge of the scene. Joining him is Howard White (Chris Tucker), the vice president of Basketball Athlete Relations. Also present is marketing chief Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman). And right at the top is Phil Knight (Affleck), the chief executive who drives a Porsche but still subscribes to the go-getting ethics that defined the company.
With the pressure on him, Vaccaro decides he wants to court rising star Michael Jordan — just as he was moving from college basketball to the NBA. When he contacts Jordan’s bullish agent David Falk (Chris Messina), he’s told flat out that Jordan wants to sign with adidas, but Vaccaro won’t take no for an answer.
First, he breaks convention by visiting Jordan’s parents (Viola Davis and her real-life actor husband Julius Tennon), a move that sends the volatile Falk apoplectic with rage. Yet with Knight uncertain whether to gamble their $250,000 budget on just one player, Vaccaro is forced to think outside the shoe box.
So begins the creation of one of the decade’s best-known products: the Air Jordan. It feels like a bizarre idea to build a movie around the creation of a pair of trainers, but there’s something quite magical about their enthusiasm, especially when they team up with Nike’s leading designer Peter Moore (Matthew Maher).
The splash of red added to the design is even a violation of NBA rules — a $5,000 fine would have to be paid if Jordan even steps on a court wearing them. “You’re remembered for the rules you break,” says Knight, who pads around the office barefoot and seems more worried about a man on a skateboard in the parking lot scratching his Porsche than he does about signing Jordan.
Aside from the nostalgia blast of '80s music on the soundtrack (ZZ Top, Grandmaster Flash, Harold Faltermeyer), what knits this together are the performances. Damon and Affleck, famed for their career-making turns in Good Will Hunting, reunited in 2021 for Ridley Scott’s middling medieval saga The Last Duel, but this feels like a far better use of their talents. Affleck, who hasn’t directed since his troubled 2016 gangster picture Live By Night, seems to be particularly enjoying himself.
It helps, of course, when you have Oscar-winner Davis in your cast — her quiet ferocity as Jordan’s mother is something to behold. Messina is also glorious as Falk, a man who gives Brian Cox’s Logan Roy — the no-nonsense patriarch in TV hit Succession — a run for his money when it comes to hurling a tirade of insults. Likewise, Marlon Wayans as influential coach George Raveling gets only one scene, but truly makes it count. Maybe it’s the retro vibe, maybe it's the soundtrack, maybe it's both, but there’s something enjoyably old school in this — a film that deals with dreams, ambitions and athletes getting a fair share of what’s coming to them.
Air will be released in UAE cinemas on Thursday
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 0
Manchester City 2
Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'
MATCH INFO
BRIGHTON 0
MANCHESTER UNITED 3
McTominay 44'
Mata 73'
Pogba 80'
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Fulham 0
Aston Villa 3 (Grealish 4', Hourihane 15', Mings 48')
Man of the match: Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
THURSDAY'S FIXTURES
4pm Maratha Arabians v Northern Warriors
6.15pm Deccan Gladiators v Pune Devils
8.30pm Delhi Bulls v Bangla Tigers
Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Results
STAGE
1 . Filippo Ganna (Ineos) - 0:13:56
2. Stefan Bissegger (Education-Nippo) - 0:00:14
3. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:21
4. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:24
5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) - 0:00:30
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 4:00:05
2. Joao Almeida (QuickStep) - 0:00:05
3. Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep) - 0:00:18
4. Chris Harper (Jumbo-Visma) - 0:00:33
5. Adam Yates (Ineos) - 0:00:39
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
AIR
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