If you’ve been lacking the feel-good allure and coronary heart of Ted Lasso, Apple TV+ might need just delivered your subsequent repair. Stick, a new sports comedy starring Owen Wilson as a washed-up former golfer, debuted on the platform at present — and it’s already driving straight down the golf green with critics.
The present follows Pryce Cahill, performed by Wilson, who after we meet him is spending his days working at a suburban sporting items retailer. He’s a has-been, divorced and drifting, when Pryce will get a second shot at which means when he crosses paths with Santi, a 17-year-old golf expertise performed by Peter Dager. And what begins as a mentorship rapidly turns right into a full-fledged partnership, with Pryce stepping as much as coach the child in golf in addition to life.
The ensuing comedy, which has debuted with a stable 83% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing, is one thing that feels each acquainted and recent: It’s a narrative about second possibilities, discovered household, and the hope that lives on the coronary heart of each comeback story. A golf comedy stuffed with emotional mulligans, because it have been.
Throughout its first few episodes, the collection manages to stability quick-witted writing with just sufficient emotional weight to maintain issues grounded. Wilson brings a laid-back vulnerability to the function of Pryce, whereas Dager delivers a breakout efficiency as a teen athlete navigating strain, fame, and the expectations that include expertise. Add within the sun-soaked golf programs, a pointy supporting solid, and a script that doesn’t speak all the way down to its viewers, and Stick makes a robust case for being Apple’s subsequent massive comedy hit.
The Hollywood Reporter most likely stated it finest, by noting of the characters in Stick: “It’s hardly revolutionary to level out that likable characters are likely to make for likable exhibits, and nothing Stick is doing on that entrance is reinventing the wheel. However why wouldn’t it? Because it stands, this may already be probably the most nice journey you’ll take all summer time.”