At the beginning of the trailer for The Hawk, a new Netflix comedy show that premieres today, July 16th, we are (sort of) made privy to his aging golfer character Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins’ thought process, and we see him singing that old insipid Chili’s commercial jingle that we all know and hate:
I want my baby back baby back baby back…
This moment that I’ll never get back made me think: is The Hawk basically a Ricky Bobby from Talladega Nights retread transplanted to the golf course?
Don’t get me wrong. I liked Talladega Nights just fine… back in 2006. After watching the trailer, I found myself going through Ferrell’s IMDB page on a quest for, “What was the last thing I really loved that Will Ferrell starred in,” and… I went pretty deep, I have to say.
Maybe this is a long way of saying that my bar is set decidedly low for The Hawk based on what we’ve seen so far.
Here’s Netflix’s official description of The Hawk:
Lonnie Hawkins, (Will Ferrell) 2004’s number one golfer, struggles on the back nine of his career to recapture his magic. His body says retire, but his heart says he’s not done yet. His ex-wife and his son Lance, golf’s new golden boy, know he’s through. But with one more major to win to complete golf’s Grand Slam, Lonnie refuses to believe he’s anything other than one stroke away from the greatest comeback in golf history.
The rest of the trailer sprinkles in some Happy Gilmore vibes, which may or may not help. There’s also some quick allusions to hijinks that may or may not include an affair and gunplay at a blinged out party.
I will say that the cast is stellar (and don’t get me wrong, I still love Ferrell), with Molly Shannon, Chris Parnell, and Luke Wilson in a Shooter McGavin-y role. Parnell, Shannon, and Ferrell date back to both Saturday Night Live and Anchorman together, which is fun.
Jimmy Tatro also plays a major role, who was a standout in the first season of American Vandal (which was a sensation on Netflix back in 2017, if you’re able to recall back to those pre-COVID Before Times).
If you want a recommendation for a genuinely good, recent golf-based comedy show available on a streamer (Apple TV), I’m delighted to point you to Stick, starring Owen Wilson as… wait for it, an aging golfer.
Stick is sweet and good natured, a great hang show. It’s also grounded enough to make you care about its characters, and offers enough real laughs to remind you that it is indeed a comedy.
If that’s not enough for you, Marc Maron is in it, who crushes in everything he’s in.