"The Hawk" — Will Ferrell's Golf Comedy Is No "Talladega Nights"
Netflix's new golf comedy "The Hawk," starring Will Ferrell, never comes close to the heft of his star's classic sports comedies: Ferrell is familiar but tired, the pacing is slow, and the laughs are few.
According to Alison Herman's review in Variety, Will Ferrell's new Netflix golf comedy The Hawk promises to compete in the same league as the sports comedies etched into audience memory, like 'Talladega Nights' and 'Blades of Glory' — but once it hits the course, it falls well below that league.
Ferrell plays Lonnie "The Hawk" Hawkins, a grumpy, alcoholic, fading professional golfer nearing the end of his career. After winning the 2004 championship, his career collapsed, and now he's chasing a comeback on the PGA Champions Tour. Molly Shannon plays his ex-wife, Jimmy Tatro his irritating young rival, and Luke Wilson his patient manager.
Where's the problem? Ferrell's character type is very familiar: the hollow, blustering aging athlete prone to explosive outbursts. The problem isn't the type itself, but the script's failure to give that type anything new to say. Director Jason Woliner ('Borat Subsequent Moviefilm') can't strike a balance between taking the theme seriously and producing pure silliness; the result has neither 'Talladega Nights'' anarchic energy nor the bittersweet decline drama of something like 'The Squid and the Whale.'
What saves it? Molly Shannon brings energy to every scene; Luke Wilson's "tired but loyal" manager remains consistently watchable. The golf-course cinematography is lovely — according to Herman, one of Netflix's most "postcard-pretty" comedies in recent years.
Verdict. The Hawk is as easy to watch as a Will Ferrell movie and as quickly forgotten as one. It won't satisfy those who still believe Ferrell has time left for sports-comedy classics; for those who've never seen the classics, it's a weak entry point.
Source: Variety — Alison Herman