There is something sad about watching a comedian of Will Ferrell’s caliber pour all his energy into what looks like a television pileup. At nearly 60, Ferrell finally gets a comedy in which he is in the driver’s seat, only to discover that the thing he has done so well for decades is, well, less suited to carrying 10 consecutive episodes. “The Hawk,” which premiered on Netflix yesterday (Thursday), about an aging, childish and self-centered golfer, feels, at best, like a joke — but one at Ferrell’s expense.
When you think about it, Ferrell was never really a comedian of jokes, he was a comedian of disruption. His biggest characters — Ron Burgundy (“Anchorman”), Buddy (“Elf”), Ricky Bobby (“Talladega Nights”), Brennan (“Step Brothers”) — are all people who live in their own worlds. They are not funny because of their punchlines, but because they constantly challenge the normal environment around them and demand a reaction. But if everyone around Ferrell is just as unhinged, all the tension that creates the comedy collapses.
'The Hawk.' Trailer
(Courtesy of Netflix)
Perhaps someone chose to ignore the fact that comedy has evolved, and that the expectation that Ferrell could deliver the same shtick for 10 half-hour episodes and make it work is itself out of touch with reality. Plot and character development are no longer optional when it comes to television, and “The Hawk” cannot compete with today’s smarter comedies, which feature complex characters with emotional depth. That is true despite all the appreciation for Ferrell’s improvisational talent and his ability to embrace chaos. Ferrell and the persona he has perfected over the years have not stopped being funny, but his audience expects more than another “man-child who does not understand the world.” He, however, remains stuck in the same place.
The premise of “The Hawk” sounds like something you have already seen, and that is because it is very possible you actually have — “Stick” on Apple TV+, starring Owen Wilson, presents an almost identical story about a former golf star whose career has collapsed and who tries to make a comeback while attempting to reconnect with his son. But “Stick” is considered more polished and more successful in its exploration of the world of golf, leaving “The Hawk” with the title of the blander and less successful version. Ferrell’s Lonnie Hawkins is a kind of bargain-bin Larry David, minus the self-awareness.
Hawkins is forced to deal with his son, Lance (Jimmy Tatro), who has become a rising golf star himself and is managed by Stacy (Molly Shannon, Ferrell’s longtime colleague from “Saturday Night Live”), Lonnie’s bitter ex-wife. Stacy, for her part, is mostly focused on promoting canned cocktails and screaming at Lonnie whenever he dares to show up. Later, Lonnie will also encounter his former archrival, Golden Fisk (Luke Wilson) — a polished and arrogant golfer — and everything builds toward the fateful showdown at the Pebble Beach tournament, where Lonnie will have to prove whether he has truly changed or whether he is simply a golf addict incapable of seeing beyond the next hole.
From 'The Hawk'
(Courtesy of Netflix)
The intentions are good, but that is simply not enough. The series examines whether a person defined by his failures can escape them, and whether he has any chance of coming to his senses and becoming a better father. But in practice, Will Ferrell should have used Netflix’s blank check to deliver something more than good intentions.