Yesterday turned out to be a coupla roller coasters for me in more ways than one. . The afternoon hours were spent attempting to take advantage of a celebratory day offered up by my employer’s new owners at Magic Mountain, one of the rare trips to an amusement park I’ve made of late. I did somehow survive my first-ever upside-down experience and miraculously managed to recover enough to escape from a second, “milder” experience that my companion raved was “surprisingly more thrilling than expected”–which me and my stomach came away with feelings similar to what once brought me to Cedars-Sinai. No, I didn’t wind up there, but I will also not be making a return visit in the foreseeable future.
What I did learn is that despite my kvetching there are hosts of dedicated enthusiasts who were racing ahead of us in lines who showed us they were the proud owners of VIP passes that allowed them unlimited access to Six Flags properties across America, as well as Fast Pass privileages that negated our claims of “chat and cuts”, that they proudly proclaimed as a “steal”. When we noticed they were bragging while chowing down on $10 caramel apples , $20 microwaved pizzas and $25 orders of chicken fingers that the gas station just outside the park was offering up for a third of that price, the revelation was clear. When some people’s expectations are minimal their perceived experiences can be a blast.
I then had a similar roller coaster ride and set of aha moments when I attempted to watch the Will Ferrell-fronted Netflix comedy THE HAWK, Ferrell’s first attempt at a TV series that places him in a setting and character quite familiar to fans of both him and the platform. These are points which INDIE WIRE’ Ben Travers quickly picked up on:
Seen plainly, and probably as intended, it’s just another brash, balls-out sports comedy from a comedian who’s made plenty. The star of “Talladega Nights,” “Kicking and Screaming,” “Blades of Glory,” and “Semi-Pro” expands his standard schtick to series length, playing an unorthodox athlete who, despite lacking the attributes consistently ascribed to his sport’s premiere competitors, takes a run at one last victory, on and off the field.
And VULTURE.com’s
There’s never been a better time for people who enjoy sports comedy. The Mindy Kaling basketball series, Running Point, just came back for its second season this summer. Ted Lasso will be returning for a revived season four in August. There’s Stick, the Apple TV golf series starring Owen Wilson. The Jake Johnson pickleball movie, The Dink, will be available on Apple later this month. It’s a banner season for anyone who wants to watch jokey weirdos hanging out while hitting, kicking, or throwing balls.
(T)here is absolutely no good reason to watch Netflix’s new golf comedy, The Hawk. Whatever appeal there might once have been in a show where Will Ferrell dry-humps a putting green in an extended lip-sync performance of Sisqó’s “Thong Song” has vanished more thoroughly than a golf ball at the bottom of a water trap.Around the midway point …the creator and lead actor’s selfish father figure finally has an overdue talk with his long-neglected son. You know the kind of talk it is: the one where a bad dad says he’s sorry, and/or that he’s proud of his boy, and/or that he loves him. It’s what Lance (Jimmy Tatro) needs to hear, and it’s what Lonnie (Ferrell) needs to say, so they both can move forward as better men.
“Son, I probably should’ve told you this more when you were a kid, and it’s not something that dads are really good at, but I’ll give it a go here,” Lonnie says. “I want you to know … your mother’s a world-class bitch.”
That’s about as far as I got last night and at that point I found myself nodding vigoursly with Travers’ next nishgt:
Lonnie is loud, obnoxious, and vulgar in ways that rankle traditional golfers. Namely, he’s loud (riling up the crowd at a typically silent tee box), obnoxious (wearing colors bright enough to distract from his perpetual farmer’s sunburn), and vulgar (swearing up a storm whether he’s winning or losing). This is not the guy you’re used to seeing don the green jacket at Augusta, and that’s the joke.
Except, of course, you have seen him before. Lonnie’s gaudy outfits and bleach-blonde locks may as well be an homage to John Daly, if not a long tradition of pro golfers who refuse to blend in with their respectable surroundings. Happy Gilmore is another obvious inspiration (even without the Netflix of it all) whenever Lonnie throws his clubs, talks to his ball, and calls on fans to chant his name before taking a swing. Unlike past Ferrell characters, The Hawk isn’t unique enough to earn laughs just by being the odd man out, unless you think “The Hawk” is a unique nickname for a guy with the last name Hawkins.
I’ve never been a yuge fan of most of Ferrell’s past works but I did tend to myself find myself drawn in when I was as in need of an escapist flick. Moreover, whenever I’ve observed the guffaws that tend to come from fellow in-flight passengers whenever one of his movies was playing on the screens nearest to me , or I listened to his FUNNY OR DIE zealots when I conducted several focus groups when one of my past employers was considering investing in his well-respected and immensely profitable platform. And I did rave about his most recent Netflix effort, the touching documenary WILL AND HARPER that chronicled his cross-country travels with his transitioned former Saturday Night Live colleague Harper Steele. So I suppose my expectations were as enhanced as they were last night as they were for Magic Mountain earlier in the day.
It was indeed the redundancy and freshmanic humor noted above that I personally was disappointed enough with to come away with a similar level of appreciation for my night as I was for my day. The overall critical reaction has been even more negative nelly than the examples above–as of this writing, ROTTEN TOMATOES’ Tomatometer sits at a rancid 29 per cent.
But then I noticed that the Popcornmeter–the vox populi of it all–sits at a much more tolerable 64 per cent, and it was reviews from the likes of FANDOM WIRE’s Richard Valero that reminded me that, much like Magic Mountain entertainmment and cuisine, something doesn’t need to be all that good or even a good value to be appreciated:
The world of golf hasn’t been this funny since the original launch of Happy Gilmore…Stick was one of my favorite TV shows of 2025. Their ability to capture the world of golf for fans and non-fans was perfectly accompanied by Owen Wilson’s brilliant performance. …Ivan Drago, Shooter McGavin, and Ernie McCracken: every sports movie or series needs a perfect opposition/villain. Enter Golden Fisk, an arrogant and cocky golfer who is on top of his game. Of course, he stands in the way of Hawkins and that final major title. Luke Wilson is quite the perfect opposite of Ferrell. Like much of the show, Wilson plays that villain, but how he leans into the goofiness of Fisk is where he thrives the best.
CBR’s Jeremy Dick attempted a nuanced though admittedly anecdotal approach:
While critics lambasted the show for its humor, with many claiming it just wasn’t very funny despite starring a comedy icon like Will Ferrell, the viewers sharing audience reviews are arguing that it’s much better than it’s getting credit for. As one audience review reads, “This show is great comedic fun heartwarming entertainment that I’m not ashamed to say I love.”
“Hilarious from start to finish. If you liked Eastbound and Down and classic Will Ferrell you will love this show,” said someone else. Acknowledging the Rotten Tomatoes divide, one reviewer commented, “You know a show is great when the critics hate it and the people love it. I think this is a great show and the supporting cast is awesome. Love every bit of it.”
In any case, with such divisive opinions, this may be a series that Netflix users should watch for themselves to see what they think of it.
I suspect in light of the mischagoss that our swashbuckling Teddy Bear endured last week he’s crossing his stubby little bear fingers that Dick’s sage counsel is heeded. Given my own observational experiences noted above, I’d be willing to be wager a shekel on the likelihood he will. After all, my reeling stomach negated any impulse purchase of those marginally appealing Magic Mountain chicken fingers, so that’s at least still a possibility. And who knows, I might yet finish the series while noshing on something a lot healthier and less expensive. Sooner that than hopping on an actual roller coaster anytime soon.
Until next time…