The Hawk

“The Hawk” is sentimental and juvenile — that isn’t a criticism — its pee and poo and erection jokes delivered with great vigor. There are, of course, the sort of improvised passages that have left their mark on a quarter-century of film comedy, so that now and again a scene spins into irrelevance, as if life were just a series of skits — and maybe it is — but this does tend to be funny and what we come for, after all.

What redeems The Hawk, both the show and the character, is the genuine earnestness that underlies this goofball’s delusional and raunchy bravado.

Suffice it to say, this is a comedy with the nutritional value of a jelly doughnut. .... It’s a show to be watched while drinking beer and belching out loud. Judged in that way, it’s a winner.

It's stuck between two worlds, and the characters aren't unique or compelling enough to keep the show running.

He [Will Ferrell] and his talented co-creators and co-stars can’t overcome the leaden feel to most of this series and a central character that just never feels fully formed.

Will Ferrell whiffs a golf comedy he should have nailed in a walk. In golf, a ball buried in a sand trap is called a “fried egg.” What we’ve got here is a fried egg.

The script offers half a bad idea, which Ferrell and co are tasked with turning into comedy gold through sheer comic exuberance. With so little to work with, and with Ferrell’s ability to perform miracles now on the wane, it never works.

Will Ferrell is a wonderful and rare actor that can deliver multiple genre-styles in one series. Highly under-rated actor. Name a bad Will Ferrell movie. You can't. I had to come review this because somehow this show is getting bad reviews - I binged watched this in two days it's so good. It's predictable, but that's the point. You know where it's going - it's how Will and team get there that's the fun.

Being a fan of Will Ferrell and golf, I'm pretty much the perfect audience for The Hawk, and whilst it's not as funny as I'd hoped it was just about interesting enough to keep me watching until the end.

Will Farrell may have found his comedy partner in Fortune Feimster. He plays a golfer struggling to make a comeback and she’s the caddy he enlists from a Walmart parking lot. Their continual repartee is the best thing about this series. Actually, Farrell has tamped down his tendency to go over-the-top with this character. There’s still plenty of his signature style, but he never becomes obnoxious. Experienced comedy director David Gordon Green may be part of the reason. He’s kept the energy up, while allowing for some tender family interactions: Molly Shannon is also somewhat restrained as the wife with Jimmy Tatro as his son, who’s also competing against his dad in the golf finals. There are some genuinely funny moments, some juvenile humor and some gags that fall flat. As a result, it’s not a riotous comedy, but an occasional amusing series. NOTE: Green actually directed the first ep of “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” which I enjoyed a lot more.

"The Hawk" (S01, 10eps, 30-min, Netflix) So many times I have to start with "I really wanted to like this, but..." All the right things are in place, formerly popular SNL cast, created by and stars Will Farrell, but here's the problem: for 10 episodes there's 18 producers, 10 writers, and 4 directors so no cohesive view of the story and how it plays out. But what turned me off of this is how so derivative it was. You have Will as a big ol' man-boy he's like 60 now but channelling a 12yo including all the awkward behavior and toilet humor that comes with that. At times he was channelling how Owen Wilson does comedy, at other times he came off as Napoleon Dynamite. Then they post up Molly Shannon, now over 60, as his ex like she's some beauty, really?! We got Fortune Feimster as his caddy channelling the late John Candy. The only former SNL'ers missing from Will's era are creator Lorne Michaels and David Spade, who would've been soooo much better in the caddy role. Look, this'll appeal almost exclusively to the male, 12-16 set, anyone else will be bored or just grossed out by it all. Finally, the season story if fully wrapped up, there's no hook into a second season. The only way this gets a second season is if farrell got it in the contract, and given that he's an EP, creator, and star, it prolly won't get cancelled now, but it should. Oh, and there's a Hawk Tua joke to be said but I can't think of one, but given the type of humor involved, I'm really surprised they didn't even cameo her this season.