“Stick” Review: Owen Wilson Comes Out Winging—Ever So Gently—as a Once-Famous Golfer

Stick, an eight-episode conveyance for nan ever likable Owen Wilson, is simply a golfer’s Ted Lasso.

Like that Apple TV+ deed astir an American coach (Jason Sudeikis) uncovering a winning look for a British shot team, Stick is genial, relaxing and easygoing, perchance much than it needs to be. You whitethorn occasionally wish everyone would heap into a turbo-charged play cart and conscionable go. Or possibly location could beryllium a subplot astir competitory ballroom dancing, featuring a impermanent domiciled for Wilson's brother, Luke. That’d beryllium something!

But if you’re missing Lasso and/or still recovering from nan year’s different very dark shows — retrieve Jason Isaacs encouraging his family to portion poisoned piña coladas connected HBO’s The White Lotus? Stephen Graham sobbing unsocial successful his son’s chamber connected Netflix’s Adolescence? — this mightiness beryllium what you need.

Wilson plays Pryce “Stick” Cahill, a once-celebrated golfer whose profession ended erstwhile he flamed retired connected nan people successful a notoriously shaming viral moment. (Already teetering connected nan separator of a breakdown pursuing a individual tragedy, he was goaded to nan constituent of irrational fury by a rival.) Now, he’s divided (Judy Greer, ever sympathetic, is nan ex), connected nan verge of losing his location and hardly scraping by giving lessons astatine a club. He has an optimistic grin and a salesman's nudging confidence, and he delivers one-liners pinch that acquainted Wilson drawl — it's nan sound of a surfer remembering a cleanable activity — but his life is subpar.

Then Stick discovers what looks for illustration redemption, and a way forward: a 17-year-old kid, Santi (Peter Dager), a dazzling, earthy play whiz who could beryllium nan adjacent Tiger Woods. Stick becomes Santi’s coach, aiming to return him connected nan roadworthy and each nan measurement to tourney glory.

First, though, he has to triumph complete Santi’s mother (Mariana Treviño, lukewarm but vinegary), who demands $100,000 up front. (Her years moving successful a balloon shop person fixed her an inspiration: Invest each that money successful helium!)

It’s not until nan last 3 episodes aliases truthful that Stick comes into attraction arsenic a sports saga pinch superior stakes. That’s erstwhile Timothy Olyphant shows up arsenic Clark Ross, a slick play fable who has nan clout, money and cunning to undercut Stick and make Santi his ain protegé. (However, nan devil will extremity up assuming a different, much astonishing form.) You don't guidelines for Ross, but Olyphant, slim and handsome, makes him awfully alluring.

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Beyond that, nan show is mostly contented to amble along, loping toward nan greenish and from clip to clip indulging successful overseas bits of nonsense. Some of this feels much for illustration dawdling: What's nan constituent of Stick's cynical aged buddy (Marc Maron) getting trapped nether a fold-out bed?

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Stick's first 3 episodes are streaming now connected Apple TV+.