Interview: ‘Air’ Screenwriter Alex Convery Discusses His Experience Making This Rousing True Story

Air is one of my absolute favorite films of the year. So many elements went into its creation, as well as some incredibly talented people, but it all started with writer Alex Convery. What began as a shot in the dark, a true underdog story, eventually became a hit this year. So, I’d been keen to talk to him since I’d seen and been blown away by the flick. We’d spoken a bit ago, but held the conversation until deeper into awards season. A day after a solid showing, nomination wise at the Golden Globe awards? That seems like a prime time, so today, my discussion with Convery comes your way.

In my rave review of Air (found here), I had the following to say about his writing:

Ben Affleck helmed films run like machines, with Air being no exception. Affleck’s direction, combined with the whip-smart script from Alex Convery, makes everything seem so easy. Convery’s screenplay is lively and full of great quotes, while never forgetting the emotionality of the characters at its core. Even when it’s funny, and it’s often very funny, it’s got even more heart up its sleeve. Affleck’s crisp visuals, courtesy of cinematographer Robert Richardson, evoke the time period, as does the banger after banger on the vintage soundtrack. The efficiency at play is not just evidence that Affleck is one of the best actors turned filmmakers out there, but that he’s quite simply one of the best directors in Hollywood today. If Live By Night is his one mixed bag directorial outing (if a still highly watchable one), Air stands tall with Argo, Gone Baby Gone, and The Town.

Below, you can see my chat with Convery. We talk about a lot here, including sports, working with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the process of writing, and more. It’s a pretty casual and loose back and forth, as is my style, so no surprise there, but it fits not just the film, but the scribe as well. We enjoyed our discussion, which I suspect you will as well. The movie remains one of 2023’s crown jewels for me, so if you’ve yet to see Air, rectify that immediately…

Here now is my interview with Air screenwriter Alex Convery. Enjoy:

Air is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video right now!