The Sticky: Review

There's much to admire in Prime Video's The Sticky, a fictitious retelling of the great Canadian maple syrup heist which saw a group steal millions of dollars worth of stuff from the stockpiles held by the country.

But equally, there's also a distinct feeling The Sticky could have been more and it's certainly frustrating this 6 episode, 30 minute series feels like it unnecessarily delivers an anti-climactic ending and somehow derails the event it's been leading up to.

A ferocious Margo Martindale plays Ruth Landry, a syrup farmer forced to take over the operation after her husband fell and went into a coma. Threatened with the closure of her business by the corrupt head of the Quebec Maple Association, Ruth fights back felling one of her trees and taking it on a demolition derby through town, before smashing it through the association's door.

Equally frustrated is security guard Remy Bouchard (Guillaume Cyr) who keeps a watchful eye over the massive warehouse that has been housing the syrup. Stealing a barrel a month for 3 months, Remy is on to an idea how to wreak revenge on those who'd belittle him - but he just needs some collaborators.

Step forward Bostonian mobster Mike Byrne (Chris Diamantopoulos) who's also looking for a big score...

The Sticky's roots lie in the Fargo-esque crime-comedy genre it treads lightly in. But being afraid to go full-bore into the tropes means the series feels slight where it shouldn't and leaves it somewhat floundering in its identity. Pratfalls in the snow, and caustic one-liners sit alongside an unsaid tragedy in the oppression of the underdogs.

And make no mistake, it is an underdog tale in extremis, albeit one that offers vicarious pleasures.

While the 30 minute episode durations feel like a welcome relief in a sea of hour-long crime dramas, weirdly it also leaves the show floundering in its final two episodes with a finale that feels unusually flat and anything but a perfect payoff to what's transpired.

Martindale, Diamantopoulos and Cyr make great bedfellows as the trio and each relishes their moment in the sun. But the scripts fail them slightly and while the end hints at more to come (a mid-credits tease scene hints at darker edges), it may be this black dramedy needs to decide which side of the fence it's on - and fully embrace it for its own good.

The Sticky begins streaming on Prime Video from December 6.