Looking back at it, even though it didn’t feel that way at the time, the school uniform was a great leveller. With everyone literally wearing the same clothes, it was less likely you were to be picked on for what you were wearing. Of course, knowing how cunningly creative kids are, they always found other means of torturing your vulnerable under-developed psyche.

One area that managed to set you aside from everyone else, if you had the financial means that is, was footwear. The type of trainer you wore was the quickest shortcut to knowing something about your identity, so the likes of three stripes, a leaping cat, or a tick/swoosh, were all important in the playground. One thing was for sure, if you were seen wearing Hi-Tec’s, boy, you were in trouble.

This film sees the rise of Nike in the early eighties, who wear trailing in a limp third place in the profitable basketball ‘sneaker’ race, until they made one signing that changed everything.

It’s 1984 and all the leisure footwear companies are in the process of signing up the new sporting talent to promote their brands.

Talent scout for the basketball division of Nike is Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon). He has the unenviable task of trying to push Nike further up the rankings, with both Adidas and Converse having a more significant share of the market.

His boss Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) is a patient man, but even he is becoming more and more annoyed at his company’s weak position globally.

Sonny believes there’s only one bright new star to the professional game, going by the name of Michael Jordon, who is worth pursuing, but that’s not how Nike do business. It doesn’t hold him back however, as he pursues the unattainable, to the point where Jordan himself has publicly stated he would never sign for Nike.

But Sonny’s approach is this – the only way to play this game is to change the game. And if he gets it right, history can be made.

There have of course been thousands of biographical films made over the years, but never one about a shoe before. This is the birth of the iconic Air Jordan, a basketball shoe that managed to turn around the fortunes of a certain Nike, which helped make them the global brand they are today.

But it’s a bit more than a film about a shoe. It sees the pairing of Affleck and Damon on screen once again, which is nearly always (yes we mean you The Last Duel) a joyful experience. And it doesn’t disappoint here, with the two extremely comfortable in their scenes together.

And then you just have Damon on his own, who really should be considered one of the greatest actors to play the everyman on screen. He has the undeniable talent to play the humble, hardworking individual, who always tries his best facing whichever force or foe he’s ever up against. And he’s the likeable guy here, who you just instantly warm to and root for throughout.

Thankfully, the film, which Affleck directs with impressive flair, is more than just about the arrival of a shoe. For a particular age group, mostly those Generation X’ers, it is akin to a cinematic shot of nostalgia directly into the veins.

To achieve this Affleck relies on the film’s soundtrack, which it has to be said, is an eclectic mix of eighties tunes. It’s biggest surprise is featuring none other than our own Big Country, as no one would have guessed that Stuart Adamson’s bold vocals would have ever appear in such a film, but they do, pleasingly so.

There are other great performances too, such as the wonderful Violet Davis, and the ever reliable Jason Bateman. But if you’re looking for a scene stealer, look no further than Chris Messina, who gives an almost Ari Gold-esque performance as the sport agent David Falk.

It’s a film that is disappointingly testosterone-fuelled, with only Davis being the only prominent female member of the cast; of course it can be argued that it’s a film about not only a male dominated sport but also industry, but that’s not to say that the partners of some of these men couldn’t have had an opinion, God forbid, or some of their female co-workers.

It also doesn’t touch on Nike’s unethical support of sweatshops in foreign countries, unsurprisingly, where workers are paid a pittance to produce their premium-priced footwear. That would have no doubt brought that feel-good factor down a level or two, which neither the studio involved or Nike themselves, would have been that happy with.

You don’t need to be a fan of either basketball, or trainers for that matter, as the film still works, especially with Damon and Affleck’s involvement, as an enjoyable sports drama.

But if you happen to be a Generation X’er, then there’s every chance that this shoe-shaped piece of nostalgia will be the perfect fit.