[SATIRE] Apple TV+ Show Review: Sick

Owen Wilson is on his game as an ex professional golfer stuck with caddying for a degenerate simpleton who becomes president of the United States

See Notes for image credits.

By Ruminato Film Critic Wesley Williams Jennings Bryan Hutchinson XIV

Owen Wilson is always at his best when he plays that humble soul who clumsily tries to claw his way back after losing his way. That’s the case in his portrayal of a washed up professional golfer in his new Apple TV+ series, “Sick.”

Wilson plays a pro golfer named Pryce, who most recently has left his mark on the golfing world by way of a nationally televised meltdown for the ages on the links.

Shortly after hustling a fellow bar patron with a golfing con with the help of a friend, he’s recruited by the head of the FBI to become the caddy for a disgraced president, whose unprecedented world of hurt is climaxed by a degrading sex scandal that is on the verge of toppling his presidency.

The president insists on competing in a professional golf tour, where Pryce is asked to cheat on every hole. The comedy unfolds as Pryce invents increasingly clever ways to cheat, from keeping a stash of balls in his pocket to place in favorable, and winning, parts of the golf course during a contest, to running around and moving the balls of other players after they make a successful drive or putt.

Wilson manages to mix his typical subtle humor with an unexpected slapstick comedy routine that works perfectly throughout the series.

The president, played by a generative AI version of W.C. Fields, rarely puts together two coherent sentences throughout the series as the two battle their way to The Scottish Open, where most of the first several episodes take place.

When Pryce becomes desperate to find a way out of his situation, he’s aided by a group of local golf fans.

In one hilarious scene after another, Scottish citizens, outraged at the presence of the American president, are led by a man who calls himself Montgomery Scott, portrayed by Simon Pegg in a reprise of sorts, as they consistently find ways to sabotage the demented president’s efforts.

The degenerate president, who is never referred to by name aside from “the degenerate president” and by Pryce as “sir,” is such a loathsome character that it wouldn’t be fair to ask a live actor to portray him, because a good performance might typecast the poor soul into acting oblivion.

The level of the president’s depravity is so bottomless that some of the series’ episodes would be too difficult to watch were it not for the cartoonish generative AI that portrays him.

Even with the softer touch provided by the generative AI actor, this series is not for the faint of heart. The subject matter is grotesque, and we are left wondering what kind of world could leave us with such a malevolent, and “sick,” individual in the Oval Office.

Notes

For realz: Owen Wilson is quite wonderful in the real version of his new series, “Stick,” which is now airing on Apple TV+. Check it out if you can.

IMDB Image Alt Text:

Fake IMDB graphic featuring the name of the streaming series, “Sick” with FBI director Kash Patel popping up behind the Owen Wilson character in a bar. The blurb for the series says:

“An over the hill golfer finds himself stuck with caddying for a degenerate simpleton who becomes President and insists on becoming a pro golfer while in office. As the caddy discovers the depth of the degenerate’s depravity, he begins to seek a way out.”

The Hollywood Reporter is quoted as saying, “The rare sexual perversion comedy that works.”

Image credits: IMDB image created by author using IMDB image as base. Fair use claim. Kash Patel image is in the public domain and is basically his official portrait.

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