What to watch: Affleck’s ‘Air’ is a slam-dunk, and much more than a sports movie

One of the best sports-related movies I’ve seen in years makes a full court press this week in theaters, while over on the indie circuit, there’s a charmer from Ireland, a quirky comedy about a public TV station painter, a supernatural thriller that starts great then falls apart and a worthwhile drama about a gay Muslim man’s standoff in a closet. We even point you to one of the best series yet from Reese Witherspoon’s production company.

Here’s our roundup.

“Air”: The oft-repeated sports proverb about it not being whether you win or lose but how you play the game gets a healthy and vigorous workout in Ben Affleck’s massively entertaining account about how the then-underdog Nike company in the ‘80s persuaded hot-shot rookie Michael Jordan and his family to sign on for a groundbreaking merchandizing deal that netted the iconic Air Jordan sneakers. What sounds like subject matter better suited for a Netflix documentary transforms into something special, a crowd pleasing feature that will restore your faith in the American Dream as it shows how creative, principled outsiders sunk a three-pointer marketing deal right as that buzzer sounded. Their deal led to a better way to play the game for all players — both on and off the court. But you’ll need to see the movie to find out how that all went down.

Every aspect works in “Air” and everyone in front of and behind the camera gets their A-game on. The cast receives a major assist from the perceptive and funny screenplay from Alex Convery, who kicks out one worth-repeating line after another (“a shoe is just a shoe … until my son steps into it”). As director and co-star, Affleck — who plays the delightfully eccentric Nike CEO Phil Knight — sustains the right, pithy tone throughout. He also makes some very wise decisions, including not having Michael Jordan appear in the film.

Affleck presents his buddy Matt Damon with a juicy lead role, one that is right in his wheelhouse. He plays the determined and astute Sonny Vaccaro, one of Nike’s MVPs — a basketball soothsayer of sorts who hustles and knows all about the up-and-coming basketball stars. During the ‘80s — delightfully rendered and recalled here including the soundtrack — a struggling Nike sought to gain a leg up on its competitors, Adidas and Converse. Vaccaro comes up with what seems like an impossible dream — persuading an uninterested Michael Jordan to go with their brand. It takes a lot of coordinating and negotiating — not just with Jordan’s mother (Viola Davis, in what will be one of the best performances you’ll see in 2023) and to a far lesser extent, his dad (Julius Tennon). Knight doesn’t like the costly endeavor at first, but after some resistance, Nike’s VP of marketing Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman), Vaccaro’s coworker Howard White (Chris Tucker) and even Michael’s wheeling-and-dealing agent David Falk (Chris Messina) get into Sonny’s court.

While material like this might sound like it could be deadly dull for anyone uninterested in sports and shoes, Affleck’s heartwarming story holds appeal for all. It celebrates the old-fashioned notion that ethics and profits can go hand in hand.  It’s not only Affleck’s best film yet, “Air” is the first great movie of 2023. Details: 4 stars out of 4; in theaters April 3.

“Paint”: It’s a stroke of ingenuity to pick Owen Wilson to portray swooned-over public TV personality and one-trick-pony painter Carl Nargle (based on the real-life painter Bob Ross). With his permed-out hair, soothing vocal delivery and peaced-out presence, Nargle has managed to charm all of Vermont along with devoted female co-workers. But in writer and director Brit McAdams’ quirky comedy, which glides right by you, Carl’s paint-by-numbers style (dubbed “wet on wet”) is ready to be replaced by upstart Ambrosia (Ciara Renée) whose paintings deviate from the same landscape he paints. Her ascent prompts Nargle to suffer from an identity and artistic crisis, one that finds him drawn closer to an old flame and one of the show’s producers (Michaela Watkins). “Paint” is an oddball film about an lovable oddball, and it works just enough thanks to Wilson’s inspired comedic performance. Details: 2½ stars; in theaters April 7.

“Tiny Beautiful Things”: From all  appearances, it seems like a terrible idea to have always at-wit’s-end Clare (Kathryn Hahn) dispensing advice about solving some of life’s sticky predicaments. But even though Clare’s marriage to Danny (Quentin Plair) appears to be zeroing in on its expiration date, and her teen daughter Rae (Tanzyn Crawford) remains bewildered by her actions, Clare’s sage observations about the messiness of life turns out to be just exactly what her Dear Sugar column needs. Showrunner Liz Tigelaar’s eight-episode adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s best-selling collection, “Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar” doesn’t just stay in the turmoil of the present. It also flashes back to when a younger Clare (played well by Sarah Pidgeon) experienced joys and hardships, including her mother’s untimely death. All of it’s handled well and Hahn is terrific, resulting in “Things” being one of Reese Witherspoon’s best Hello Sunshine productions yet. It’s a series that acknowledges that life presents us with enormous challenges, but also brings us comfort and contentment through the precious things and moments we sometimes fail to appreciate. “Tiny Beautiful Things” reminds us to take the time to honor life’s magic before time passes us by too. Details: 3 stars; drops April 7 on Hulu.