13 Movies That Show Hollywood’s Obsession With Nike Sneakers
We didn’t need the cinematic corporate film Air to remind us of the indelible mark that Michael Jordan left not only on basketball but also on shoes. The introduction of the Air Jordans in 1985 was a huge success for the company, but it also started a culture built around the sneaker. Once mostly practical footwear, sneakers have suddenly become fashion statement, cultural badges and high-end collectibles. Just a couple of years later, Spike Lee placed a pair of Air Jordans at the center of Do the Right Thing , a movie that still speaks to the state of American culture like every movie before or since. And it’s just about the only movie where sneakers have played an unexpectedly big role — and given the Air Jordan’s continued dominance of culture, it’s no wonder Nike has landed the most cinematic cameos, and sometimes starring roles.
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Spike Lee may be a little better known as one of the most influential directors of the past few decades, but his sneakerhead reputation precedes him. A pair of (briefly) brand-new Air Jordan IVs starred in one of the most memorable scenes in his most significant film: Out of the House Giancarlo Esposito minding his own business as a white guy in a Larry Bird jersey stomps his foot. “You stepped on my brand new white Air Jordans!” is the line that kicks off a heated discussion about the threat of gentrification — and whitewashing — looming over the area, a conflict that will soon lead to tragedy for the characters. In 2017, Nike even released a limited edition Buggin’ Out sneaker in honor of the movie.
Recommended shoes: Air Jordan IV.
Where to broadcast: Digital rental
Forrest Gump (1994)
From a product placement standpoint, this actually makes sense: as Forrest Gump navigates his way through 20th-century American history, it’s no wonder he ran into the iconic Nike Cortez, the company’s very first running shoe, designed by the company’s founder. Bill. Bowerman and Phil Knight back in 1972. Jenny gives Forrest some shoes (in the original White/Varsity Royal/Varsity Red color scheme) before he sets off on his little jog across America. The Cortez line has come and gone over the years, but today they are readily available.
Recommended shoes: Nike Cortez
Where to stream: Prime Video
Back to the Future Part 2 (1989)
One of Nike’s most famous pairs of sneakers isn’t real…or at least wasn’t until 2011, more than two decades after it debuted in big movies. Created by Nike prodigy Tinker Hatfield for the 1989 sequel Back to the Future , the Nike MAG was a futuristic concept shoe with glowing panels and, notably, auto-lacing technology (supposedly people back in 2015 had better things to do than tying their laces by hand). . Hatfield returned to the design in 2011 and Nike released a limited run of 1,500 shoes (without the auto-lacing feature) to be auctioned off to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Hatfield redesigned the shoe again in 2016 when true power laces appeared and Nike released just 89 pairs of MAG. As you can probably guess, buying a pair of any of these models will set you back quite a bit, with the 2016 version selling for over $25,000. from the (real life) Nike Bruins in the first movie.
Recommended shoes: Nike MAG sneakers.
Where to watch: Peacock
Goonies (1985)
Nikes seem to have been at a big disadvantage in Goon Docks, as almost all of the main characters can be seen wearing sneakers and shoes with the familiar swoosh. Chunk wears a pair of Terra T/Cs, Brand wears the popular Vandal Supremes, and Steph wears a rare 1984 Too Highs pair. The most memorable by far are the specially modified “smooth shoes” worn by Data Ke Hai Quan. The blue swoosh Sky Force High sneakers he wears were modified in the film with springs and an oil slick, features unfortunately not available in the standard version.
Recommended Shoes: Sky Force Highs featuring Terra T/Cs, Vandal Supremes and Too Highs.
Where to stream: HBO Max
Like Mike (2002)
The sweet sports comedy starring the artist formerly known as Li’lBow Wow unfolds with some bizarre ideas about the adoption process and a memorable pair of kicks. Orphan Calvin Cambridge knows everything there is to know about basketball in general and the fictional Los Angeles Knights in particular, which sets him up for good luck – a donation box at a thrift store brings him a pair of Nike blazers with “MJ” written on them. initials are scratched on them. Yes, these shoes once belonged to none other than Michael Jordan, and when Calvi puts them on he can suddenly play like you know who. Blazer has been around since 1973; one of Nike’s first basketball shoes, it heralded the company’s absolute dominance in that market.
Recommended Shoes: A very unique pair of blazers.
Where to stream: Starz
Terminator (1984)
It doesn’t have to be a sports movie about running and, well… sneaking around. And what is the first thing time traveler Kyle Reese (Michael Bean) does when he arrives in 1984 to save Sarah Connor from the Terminator? He steals a pair of cute Nike Vandals for himself. similar in style to the Air Force 1, with a detachable velcro ankle strap, the hi-top enjoyed a brief heyday in the mid-1980s before being discontinued in 1988. Maybe the product placement backfired and everyone just thought they could be stolen? The design has since been revived and remains popular. The shoes also appeared in the justifiably maligned 2015 Terminator Genisys sequel, recreated specifically to match their appearance in the first film.
Recommended Shoes: A stolen pair of vandals.
Where to stream: HBO Max
Big (1988)
I’m not sure Big has retained the cultural footprint he once had (probably because it seems even weirder now that a 12 year old kid in a man’s body has sex with someone who’s old enough to be his mom), but certainly the scene during which Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia play a couple of duets on a giant keyboard on the floor at FAO Schwartz remains unforgettable. In this episode, Hanks wears a pair of Air Force IIs (white and blue). It’s a shiny, subtle piece of product placement.
Recommended shoes: Air Force II
Where to stream: Disney+
Batman (1989)
What it is? Have you noticed the product placement in Tim Burton’s costumes for the Batman big screen? It’s subtle, sure, but Michael Keaton’s bat boots (both in this movie and in Batman Returns ) are actually a custom Nike product , designed by Tinker Hatfield. The first movie uses the Air Trainer 3 as a base, while the Air Jordan VI serves to protect those fragile bat legs in the sequel. Given the notorious immobility of Michael Keaton’s batsuit, being able to wear a pair of sneakers was probably at least a small consolation.
Recommended shoes: Air Trainer 3
Where to stream: HBO Max
He Got Game (1998)
If Spike Lee can intelligently include sneakers in a movie, he will. Like Do the Right Thing a decade earlier, He Got Game features a variety of sneaker cameos, but Denzel Washington’s Jake Shuttlesworth only thinks of one sneaker: the Air Jordan XIII. Lee got access to the then-latest Jordan sneakers months before they were released, and their on-screen debut was perfectly timed when the shoes went on sale. If you watched He Got Game when it came out in 1998, chances are you were just as eager to get your hands on the new Jordans as Jake was.
Recommended shoes: Air Jordan XIII.
Where to broadcast: Digital rental
George of the Jungle (1997)
There is nothing complicated about product placement here, but when it works, it works. Non-pop culture Brendan Fraser deliberately unboxes a pair of the signature Air Uptempos that Scottie Pippen first wore a year earlier .
Recommended shoes: Air Uptempo
Where to stream: Disney+
White People Can’t Jump (1992)
There are too many basketball shoes here, so we’ll give pride of place to two: Sidney Dean (Wesley Snipes) wears a pair of Nike Air Force Lites, and Woody Harrelson’s Billy Hoyle wears a pair of Air Command Force sneakers, both released in 1991. In 2009, the company oddly released a colorway for both shoes that was “inspired” by the movie but didn’t really follow the simpler style of the on-screen shoe. They are just in the colors of the 90s. .
Recommended shoes: Air Force Lite, Air Command Force.
Where to stream: Hulu
Lost in Translation (2003)
What is it, you say? Lost in Translation is not a movie about sneakers? Let me expand your shoe horizons. In the scene where Bill Murray’s Bob is waiting for Charlotte at the hospital, he is clearly wearing a pair of colorful Nike x HTM Air Wovens. Shoe with a single nylon thread upper was originally designed in 2000 by Mike Aveni, the most famous basketball shoe manufacturer, and then redesigned by Hiroshi Fujiwara in 2002 as part of the Nike HTM series (featuring the company’s high-tech concept). , the slightly avant-garde design group of the same name). The “Dark Mocha” colorway that Bob wears (consisting of brown, orange, beige, and white threads) was part of a limited edition of 1,500 shoes.
Recommended shoes: Nike x HTM Air Woven
Where to stream: Prime Video
Space Jam (1996)
As Air skillfully demonstrates, Michael Jordan dominates basketball shoes like no other celebrity endorser. However, in Space Jam , we return to Bill Murray memorably rocking a pair of Air Jordan IIs, the premium sequel to the original Jordans without the Swoosh. Joking! Mostly. The part about Murray and the sneakers is correct, but his cameo role is a Jordan movie born of his success as a basketball icon, but also, in part, the success of the Air Jordans themselves. Jordan and Bugs Bunny first appeared on screen together in commercials during the 1992 and 1993 Super Bowls – the ad was so popular that it inspired a movie that was developed around the time of Jordan’s first retirement from basketball. Tinker Hatfield (the name we mentioned earlier) designed the Air Jordan XI with Jordan in mind, hoping he would make a comeback to basketball…which, of course, he did in 1995. Jordan wore a pair for his comeback. Championship, as in the 1996 film. Finally, in 2000, Space Jams were released to the general public. If you want the original set, it will cost you a pretty penny… A 1996 pair, signed by Jordan but never even worn, just sold for $176,400.
Recommended Shoes: First and foremost, a pair of the iconic Air Jordan XI, later nicknamed “Space Jams.”
Where to stream: HBO Max