Apple’s golf comedy, Stick, is going to drop its second season soon. If you missed the first season, here are some quick thoughts on its first three Season 1 episodes.
Stick delivers laughter amid the glut of cheap reality shows and true crime trash. Mostly, it’s because of the show’s lead, Owen Wilson, who brings his Wedding Crashers charm to this fun, half-hour diversion.
Cahill and Santi (R) in “Stick” (photo courtesy GolfPass)
Wilson’s Pryce Cahill, whose moniker is “Stick,” is a washed-up golf pro – an ex Ryder Cupper – who is in a major rut. He’s “squatting” in his ex-wife’s (Judy Greer) home, and he’s not getting by selling over-priced golf equipment. Pryce needs a kick in the rump. Enter Santi (Peter Dager), the next Tiger Woods, perhaps.
Pryce runs into Santi, who looks a lot like the goofball from the Anora movie, at the local golf range, where Santi is taking out his aggression on golf balls, on the sly, and trespassing. Santi stopped playing competitively after his dad skipped out on him and his mom (Mariana Trevino) when he was 14.
Pryce sees an opportunity to, well, get a life. Santi’s mom is game for Pryce to be Santi’s coach-manager … if Pryce will give them $100,000 up front.
(I’ll stop with that before I ruin the whole thing.)
Instead of Vince Vaughn, Wilson works off of Marc Maron, who plays “Mitts,” his curmudgeonly ex-caddy. Indeed, Maron is on familiar terrain. The show introduces us to Maron’s character in a wonderful bar scene, which feels very White Man Can’t Jump—no slight. If you’re doing sports comedy, Ron Shelton, the Shakespeare of sports comedies, is a must-stop for inspiration. If you want a great golf flick, check out Shelton’s Tin Cup.
Yes, Stick is very male, but it pushes hard for the “Elaine” perspective. There’s Greer, who’s wonderful as the best ex-wife in the world, as well as Santi’s mom, who clashes with Maron’s character. There’s also an anti-patriarchy character: Zero (Lilli Kay). With that said, Stick frowns upon bro behavior.
Yes, there’s lots of snappy, fun dialogue, but it isn’t Wedding Crashers on the links by any means. And it has some solemn moments. Its main characters are broken. However, thus far the show hasn’t dwelt on those aspects. Stick keeps it light.
Thus far, I see one major obstacle for the show. It’s Santi’s golfing ability: he’s too good with driving that borders on the supernatural. Thus, winning seems almost an afterthought, just too easy. Worse, it makes Pryce, his coach, as well as the comedic engine of the show, almost superfluous.
I have another (minor) quibble with the show. Stick takes place in Indiana, the heartland, home to some of the greatest sports movies. like Breaking Away, Rudy, and Hoosiers. Stick, however, has literally no Indy vibe. So, the show could have been shot anywhere. (In actuality, they shot it in British Columbia, which is probably a lot cheaper.)
Shanks aside, Stick shoots well under par. Just in case you’re not familiar with golf jargon, that’s a good thing.
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Jon Hart is the author of Unfortunately, I was available, the sequel to Man versus Ball: One Ordinary Guy and His Extraordinary Sports Adventures.
