Driving Range to Deranged: Owen Wilson Coaches, Crashes, and Charms in ‘Stick’ (2025)
- Dan Brooks
- Jul 5
- 3 min read
An over-the-hill ex-golfer, fired from his job, sees hope in coaching a troubled teen prodigy after his wife leaves him, staking his future on the youth's success.
You know that feeling when you accidentally find $5 in an old jacket? That’s Stick. You’re not going to buy a yacht with it, but hey, it’s a nice little surprise on a Tuesday night. And with Owen Wilson at the helm, you're getting that signature aw-shucks drawl served over a heaping plate of second chances and soft-focus optimism. This new Apple TV+ series is part sports drama, part emotional warm blanket, and part obligatory woke checklist - but more on that later.
Let’s get this out of the way: Owen Wilson is doing Owen Wilson. Again. The man has made a career out of playing slightly defeated charmers with a soulful shrug and a pair of sunburned aviators. And here, he leans into that groove so hard he might as well be carving a canyon. His character - an ex-golfer whose career and marriage have both gone the way of the dodo - finds purpose in mentoring a troubled teen golf prodigy. It’s Bad News Bears by way of Titleist.
But here’s the thing… it works. Dammit, it works. The series leans hard into its charm, and Wilson’s chemistry with newcomer Peter Dager, who plays the aforementioned prodigy with equal parts angst and swagger, gives it the kind of energy that makes you want to sit back, relax, and maybe call your dad. Lilli Kay also shows up as the teen’s no-nonsense cousin-slash-guardian-slash-voice-of-Gen-Z-reason, filling in the role of “person who reminds everyone that growth is painful and doesn’t always involve golf metaphors.”
And yes, the whole thing has the emotional weight of a well-thrown feather pillow. But it’s intentional. Stick isn’t trying to be Breaking Bad. It’s trying to be the show you throw on when the world feels like it’s circling the drain and you need a reminder that people - even the ones who’ve bottomed out - can still hit a decent shot if they just square up and follow through.
The first three episodes are breezy, funny, and full of the kind of feel-good banter that made Ted Lasso a household name. There’s heart, humor, and yes, even the occasional misty-eyed monologue. And while it never digs too deep (we’re talking sand trap-level depth, not buried treasure), it still manages to strike a nice balance between light entertainment and character-driven sincerity.
Now, let’s pivot to the sand trap of this production: the forced cultural currency.
Look, I’m all for inclusion and progress. But Apple, can we not golf clap our way through another script where every character is reduced to a checkbox in a writer’s room diversity spreadsheet? Somewhere between the kid’s trauma, the coach’s fall from grace, and the third mention of sustainable golf shoes, I started to wonder if I was watching a human story or a DEI training video.
And for the love of all that is sacred in cinema, can we please retire the trope of the sad-sack man as the default protagonist? I get it - we’re exploring vulnerability. But lately, it feels like every male lead comes standard with a three-day beard, a half-empty bottle of regret, and a restraining order from their self-esteem. Owen Wilson used to command wedding receptions and save the planet with a rocket team - now he’s line dancing around emotional repression in khakis. Can we just… balance it out a bit?
That said, none of these gripes make Stick unwatchable. In fact, it’s the kind of show you want to like. It doesn’t try to punch above its weight class. It knows what it is: a soft, endearing tale about redemption, mentorship, and yes, learning to play through the rain.
It’s not revolutionary. It won’t change the way you think about sports, parenthood, or your short game. But it will make you smile a few times, chuckle at Owen Wilson being Owen Wilson, and maybe - maybe - appreciate the quiet victories a little more.
Final Verdict: 7.0/10
It’s a feel-good drive down the middle of the fairway. Nothing flashy, but it gets the job done - and looks good doing it in a visor.
#StickSeries #OwenWilson #AppleTVPlus #TedLassoVibes #GolfDrama #FeelGoodTV #PeterDager #LilliKay #WokeWatch #TVReview
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