Sonny Vaccaro looks through game tapes to find the next athletic sponsor for Nike. The CEO, Phil Knight, authorized $250,000 for three players. Sonny has plenty on his shoulders because Nike’s basketball division is floundering. Adidas and Converse have a hold on the market share. While Converse is America’s favorite basketball sneaker, Adidas has gained popularity because of Run DMC and its tracksuits. Sonny sits in a marketing meeting with its head, Rob Strasser, and looks through the 1984 NBA draft picks. Sonny wants them to consider Michael Jordan, but the staff knows Jordan is expensive and prefers Adidas. Nike would use their entire budget on Jordan alone. Sonny leaves the meeting upset and looks over more college basketball tapes. While watching, he sees an Arthur Ashe commercial for tennis rackets and gets an idea. Instead of having a player put on their shoes, they design them for the player. The player and the shoe will become a brand within themselves.
Sonny flies to LA to talk to his friend, George Raveling, because George coached Michael Jordan in the Olympic tournament. George believes Sonny’s instincts are right about the rookie but warns Sonny that Michael’s parents, James and Deloris, are strongholds in their son’s career. Sonny returns to Nike’s headquarters and pitches his idea to Howard White. Howard signed Moses Malone to a Nike deal that remains their best acquisition. Howard admits he called Moses’s mom to finalize the deal. Sonny convinces Phil and Rob to let him pitch a Nike deal to Jordan’s mom, but they tell Sonny to call Jordan’s agent, David Falk, not Deloris. David knows his client doesn’t like and won’t talk to Nike. So he shoots Sonny down. Sonny takes George and Howard’s advice and meets with Jordan’s parents. After a revealing conversation with Deloris, David calls Sonny with a flurry of insults and a Monday meeting. Phil tells Sonny that his career is riding on this meeting. Sonny runs to Peter Moore and asks him to design the best shoe Nike has ever created. Sonny doesn’t know, but his decision to pursue Michael Jordan will change Nike, athletic sponsorships, and Michael Jordan’s finances forever.
A lot of care went into making this film. The director ensures this isn’t a Michael Jordan movie. It’s about Sonny, Deloris, and Nike. Sonny is the man behind the curtain. He truly loves basketball and created an all-star basketball league and camp. He understood the psychology behind the sport, its players, and its coaches. Nike took a risk to put a player before profits, and it paid out with interest. However, the driving force behind this deal was Deloris Jordan. She knew her son’s worth to the game and wouldn’t compromise his future. This movie ensures she gets her flowers. The music and technology will transport you back to 1984. Audiences will remember the nostalgia of beepers, car phones, and fax machines. Also, this film gives recognition to Peter’s genius. Sneakers weren’t just a fashion statement for him. They were a work of art. While the language is a bit much for younger viewers, audiences will love this film from start to finish.
I give it 5 out of 5 stars
Everybody knew – Sonny
I know you can’t do what I do. You can barely do what you’re supposed to do – Howard
Don’t confuse ‘desperation’ with ‘vision’ – Philip
You bringing the plane to the ground, or are you just circling? – Rob
Joy and Mary Sullivan carefully approach two parents at the park and ask if their daughter, Audrey, can play with the couple’s daughter, Lolo. At first, Lolo’s parents wonder why until they see that Audrey is Asian and adopted. The two girls run to the park to play, and a boy tells them they can’t because of their race. Lolo curses him out and punches him in the face. Lolo and Audrey become best friends.
Twenty-five years later, Audrey is a successful associate lawyer. Audrey’s boss, Frank, will send Audrey to Beijing to close a deal with their potential client. Frank tells her she will become a partner at their L.A. office if she gets the client. Audrey assures them she will get the job done. Audrey knows her Mandarin isn’t good. So she asked Lolo to join her. Lolo is a body and sex-positive artist that lives in Audrey’s garage. Before the trip, the women have dinner with their parents. Audrey’s parents bring out her old photos and go through them. Inside the box is a picture of Audrey with her birth mom. It’s the first time Lolo saw the picture. They flip it over, and Lolo notices it has the adoption agency written on the back in Mandarin. Lolo thinks they should use the trip to find Audrey’s mom, as they dreamed of as kids. Audrey says no because her parents are all she needs.
At the airport, Lolo and Audrey reveal secrets. Lolo invited her cousin, Vanessa, a.k.a. Deadeye. Deadeye and Audrey had unfortunate run-ins. Lolo promises that Deadeye will meet friends and leave them when they land in Beijing. Audrey says they will meet her college friend, Kat, a famous actress in China. Lolo rolls her eyes because she thinks Kat is snooty. Audrey makes Lolo vow to be nice to Kat.
They land in Beijing, but Deadeye stays with them. They meet Kat on set to see her wrap the movie early. Kat introduces them to her fiancé, Clarence. Clarence has a proud relationship with Christ and praises Kat for saving herself until their wedding day. Lolo holds back her laughter because she remembers Audrey’s stories about their college days and Kat’s private tattoo. Since Kat’s movie is complete, she offers to be Audrey’s translator. But Lolo tells Kat that Audrey chose her for the job. Lolo and Kat argue, but Audrey agrees to have them all come to the club to meet the client. Then, Kat pulls Audrey aside to give Audrey some great news. Kat got an acting job in L.A., so they can live in the same neighborhood when Audrey gets her promotion. Audrey wants to celebrate but tells Kat to keep it quiet because Audrey hasn’t told Lolo she will move. Kat vows to stay mum.
After a wild night of partying and drinking 1000-year-old egg shots, Audrey sits with the client, and he asks about her family. She stammers over a response when Lolo interjects that Audrey was adopted, but she is close to her birth mom and came to Beijing to visit her. The client invites Audrey and her mom to his family celebration. He will decide to hire Audrey and her company then. Audrey is furious that Lolo lied to the client. But Lolo assumed Audrey would change her mind and called the agency before they landed. This business trip changes to an adventure of self-discovery of friendship, ancestry, and nationality.
Wow. Just wow. This movie will have you crying from laughter and sadness. It beautifully addresses issues with humor and heart. There hasn’t been a movie this shockingly funny since The Hangover (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). You can’t guess what these four women will do or where the trip will take them. They take on drugs, take out a basketball team, and tear up the club. And let’s not forget the tattoo that will live rent-free in your mind. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. At the movie’s core, viewers will get four women who feel out of place. Audrey comes from two worlds without a foot firmly in either. Lolo exudes positivity and strength but feels unsuccessful. Kat plays the innocent girl but hides her past from her fiancé and fans. And the socially awkward Deadeye needs a real-life friend. No matter your background, you can connect with one of the characters. Joy Ride is a roller coaster of emotions that begs for a sequel.
I give it 5 out of 5 stars
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