Golf comedies are in the midst of a comeback. For years, there have only been a few comedy films centered around golf:Happy Gilmore,Caddyshack, andTin Cup. Yet in the middle of last year, an array of golf comedies were announced, includingHappy Gilmore 2withAdam Sandler, aWill Ferrell-led seriesfor Netflix, aJohn Daleylimited series starringKevin James, andOwen Wilson’s feel-good Apple seriesStick.
The marketing has proudly touted the series as hailing “from the home ofTed Lasso,” and while none of the creative team is involved with this series, it is an appropriate comparison. After being one of the most dominant faces in big-screen comedies throughout the 2000s andhis scene-stealing role inLoki, Wilson is joining some of his former co-stars, includingVince Vaughn,Jason Sudeikis, andJennifer Aniston, by headlining his own Apple series. Hailing fromJason Keller, who co-wroteJames Mangold’s Oscar-winning sports dramaFord v Ferrari,Stickisa classic underdog story full of lovable charactersand a warm-hearted nature that’s sometimes too afraid to have an edge.
What Is ‘Stick’ About?
Wilson stars as Pryce Cahill,a former pro-golfer who suffered a public mental breakdown during a competition, derailing his career. 20 years later, Pryce is living in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and his streak of bad luck continues as he loses his job at a sporting goods store and is freeloading off his ex-wife, Amber-Linn (Judy Greer), by refusing to move out of the home they once shared. Alongside his best friend and former caddy, Mitts (Marc Maron), Pryce now makes his money by pretending to be drunk at local bars and encouraging patrons to make bets on whether he can hit a golf ball into a shot glass.
Pryce finds a shot at redemption when he meets the 17-year-old introverted golf prodigy Santi (Peter Dager), who spends his spare time practicing his swing by sneaking onto a driving range.Pryce realizes that Santi’s talent could easily take him all the way to the pros, and offers to coach him. After persuading Santi’s mother, Elena (Mariana Treviño), by writing out a large check, Pryce takes the two and Mitts onto the open road, where Santi will make a name for himself. Along the way, they pick up Zero (Lilli Kay), a gender-queer ultra-liberal, who catches Santi’s affection, and potentially his attention.
As you can probably tell from that description,Sticktells a sports story that we’ve seen time and time again; yet, because of its winning cast and the earnestness brought forward by Keller, it also proves to be a delightful watch. Beneath all the golf and laughs, the show does a brilliant job of getting into the headspace of these characters, as we see Pryce, Santi, Mitts, Elena, and Zero confront their own insecurities. While Wilson and Dager are front and center,Stickalso shines a lot of light onto Maron, Treviño, and Kay as well, in ways that, in other series, probably wouldn’t happen until future seasons.
Owen Wilson Delivers Some of His Best Work in ‘Stick’
On the surface, Pryce Cahill is a lot like many of the other characters that Wilson has played. He’s charismatic and laid-back,but he’s also hiding a lot of pain deep inside, pain that stems from something much more tragic than just a bad game of golf.Stickhas its fair share of laughs, but it’s the more grounded and dramatic storylines that really make you sympathize and fall in love with Pryce and Santi. Wilson and Dager have an effortlessly sweet chemistry, even when at odds with each other, you’ll find yourself rooting for both of them.
Maron is another major highlight as Mitts, bringing his trademark sarcasm and dry sense of humor, and the scenes he shares with the series' other big standout, Treviño, result in some of the biggest laughs. One of the series' funniest moments occurs in the third episode, where, after battling with Elena over her dogs peeing in his RV, Mitts ends up trapped underneath a pull-out bed.
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Unfortunately,Stickruns into some trouble when it comes to Kay’s Zero. While Kay does a respectable job with the material they’re given,the character poorly represents an array of leftist young adult stereotypes— including belittling Mitts and Santi for eating meat, constantly ending up on the receiving end of pronoun jokes, and making some questionable decisions that feel at odds with their beliefs. It’s great that a series likeStick, which would mostly appeal to a more male demographic, wants to have a different kind of LGBTQ+ character, but this isn’t the way to do it. Zero ultimately drags the series down a few levels, and their relationship with Santi, considering the generational gap between them, feels questionable at best.
What ‘Stick’ Lacks in Laughs, It Makes Up for in Soul
While some viewers may go intoStickexpecting it to mainly be a comedy,the series largely leans into melodrama, for better and for worse. There are plenty of amusing running jokes throughout the show’s ten episodes, including Wilson’s Pryce carrying around a unicorn floatie that he was swindled into buying, but they don’t come as frequently as one would hope. Many of the plot beats are also predictable and repetitive; Pryce and Santi are constantly at odds with each other, but they’re bound to make up by the end of each episode.
Thankfully,Stickdoes wear its enormous heart on its sleeve, and certain moments, including Pryce dreaming of an alternate life in a later episode, are more than earned. This isn’t the golf equivalent ofWedding Crashers; in fact, the series is more often at risk of playing things a little too safely, but the emotional beats are so effective that it’s easy to forgive it.Stickmay not be the nextTed Lassothat Apple TV+ wants it to be, butits charming cast and strong emotional core make it a satisfying watchoverall.
The first three episodes ofStickpremiere June 4 on Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping weekly.
What Stick lacks in laughs, it makes up for in heart, with Owen Wilson delivering some of the best work of his career.
