Cobb
2/4
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Wuhl
Rated R for Strong Language, and for Scenes of Nudity and Violence Behavior
We love heroes. We love the idea of someone accomplishing greatness, doing things we only dream of doing. But what we see on the screen or on the field is usually only a fraction of the reality. Take Bill Cosby for instance. But how would you react if you found out that if one of your heroes turned out to be one of the world's most vile creatures?
Let's get one thing straight. "Cobb" is based on writings by Al Stump, most of which was utter nonsense. Stump's work on Ty Cobb has been largely discredited. So while "Cobb" is a biopic in the sense that Ty Cobb and Al Stump were real people and writer/director Ron Shelton follows the rules of the biopic genre, this is historical fiction.
So does seeing it in the correct light alter the film's success? Not really. "Cobb" is a mediocre film, and little of that has anything to do with what did or did not happen. Rather, it comes from Shelton's inability to decide who Ty and Al are, and how he wants his audience to feel about them. It seems to change with every scene. The film has no internal logic or consistency, and that makes it difficult to become invested in the fates of these two half-formed individuals.
Sportswriter Al Stump (Wuhl) can't believe his luck: Ty Cobb (Jones) has personally selected him to write his biography. Cobb doesn't have the best of reputations, but that does little to dampen his excitement. But what he thought was a gift from heaven turned out to be a journey into hell. Ty Cobb is a monster. He's an arrogant, vile, perverted, drunken creature who causes destruction and horror wherever he goes. Anyone and everyone is a target for his fury and no one is safe from his rage. It takes Al about ten minutes to realize he wants nothing to do with this lunatic, but is forced to stick by his side until he finishes the book. The real question is what he is going to write? The "truth" that Ty (and the public) wants to hear, or the truth that he sees every day?
"Cobb" is all about Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Wuhl, and they don't disappoint. In fact, it's clear that they are far too good for this poorly focused and confused screenplay. Tommy Lee Jones does not have great range, but in the right role, he can be better than anyone else. Jones doesn't resemble the real Cobb, but he gets the essence of the man (as told by Stump, which was apparently miles away from reality). Jones shows no fear in portraying a man totally focused on himself and his greatness, and hated just about everyone else. Ty Cobb is spoiled brat mixed with vain celebrity and taken to a psychotic extreme. But he at least knows he's a monster, and occasionally realizes what his behavior has cost him. It's one of his best performances. As Al Stump, Robert Wuhl has a comparatively thankless task of being the stand-in for the audience, but it would be unwise to discount his efforts. It isn't easy to hold one's own against a force of nature performance like Jones's version of Ty Cobb, but Wuhl does it. Al has a love/hate relationship with Cobb, and we understand the torment of the decision he has to make.
The problem with the film is that, like Stump, Shelton doesn't know how he wants us to feel about Ty Cobb. Is he just a one-man wrecking ball who dishes out venom at anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path? If so, what's with the moments of tenderness and regret that we see in the latter half of the film? Jones plays them well enough, but what they have to say about Cobb is muddled. Similarly, why does Al stay with this pig? Is it for the money, or does he begin to have sympathy for the man? Occasionally he talks about his need to "understand greatness," but that potentially interesting idea really isn't pursued by Shelton all that vigorously. So all that's left is for Al to be a doormat and babysitter. This completely kills Wuhl's final scene because we don't understand why he does what he does.
"Cobb" isn't a terrible film, but it could, and should, have been a lot better. The two performances are strong but not supported by the poorly thought-out screenplay. And there are some scenes towards the end that do have a certain poignancy, such as when Ty is watching a glowing recap of his career only to have the narrator also cover the horrors of his personal life (which no one else can see, of course). But in the end, this movie needed a director who knew his characters and what he wanted to say about them. Even if it wasn't true.
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Wuhl
Rated R for Strong Language, and for Scenes of Nudity and Violence Behavior
We love heroes. We love the idea of someone accomplishing greatness, doing things we only dream of doing. But what we see on the screen or on the field is usually only a fraction of the reality. Take Bill Cosby for instance. But how would you react if you found out that if one of your heroes turned out to be one of the world's most vile creatures?
Let's get one thing straight. "Cobb" is based on writings by Al Stump, most of which was utter nonsense. Stump's work on Ty Cobb has been largely discredited. So while "Cobb" is a biopic in the sense that Ty Cobb and Al Stump were real people and writer/director Ron Shelton follows the rules of the biopic genre, this is historical fiction.
So does seeing it in the correct light alter the film's success? Not really. "Cobb" is a mediocre film, and little of that has anything to do with what did or did not happen. Rather, it comes from Shelton's inability to decide who Ty and Al are, and how he wants his audience to feel about them. It seems to change with every scene. The film has no internal logic or consistency, and that makes it difficult to become invested in the fates of these two half-formed individuals.
Sportswriter Al Stump (Wuhl) can't believe his luck: Ty Cobb (Jones) has personally selected him to write his biography. Cobb doesn't have the best of reputations, but that does little to dampen his excitement. But what he thought was a gift from heaven turned out to be a journey into hell. Ty Cobb is a monster. He's an arrogant, vile, perverted, drunken creature who causes destruction and horror wherever he goes. Anyone and everyone is a target for his fury and no one is safe from his rage. It takes Al about ten minutes to realize he wants nothing to do with this lunatic, but is forced to stick by his side until he finishes the book. The real question is what he is going to write? The "truth" that Ty (and the public) wants to hear, or the truth that he sees every day?
"Cobb" is all about Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Wuhl, and they don't disappoint. In fact, it's clear that they are far too good for this poorly focused and confused screenplay. Tommy Lee Jones does not have great range, but in the right role, he can be better than anyone else. Jones doesn't resemble the real Cobb, but he gets the essence of the man (as told by Stump, which was apparently miles away from reality). Jones shows no fear in portraying a man totally focused on himself and his greatness, and hated just about everyone else. Ty Cobb is spoiled brat mixed with vain celebrity and taken to a psychotic extreme. But he at least knows he's a monster, and occasionally realizes what his behavior has cost him. It's one of his best performances. As Al Stump, Robert Wuhl has a comparatively thankless task of being the stand-in for the audience, but it would be unwise to discount his efforts. It isn't easy to hold one's own against a force of nature performance like Jones's version of Ty Cobb, but Wuhl does it. Al has a love/hate relationship with Cobb, and we understand the torment of the decision he has to make.
The problem with the film is that, like Stump, Shelton doesn't know how he wants us to feel about Ty Cobb. Is he just a one-man wrecking ball who dishes out venom at anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path? If so, what's with the moments of tenderness and regret that we see in the latter half of the film? Jones plays them well enough, but what they have to say about Cobb is muddled. Similarly, why does Al stay with this pig? Is it for the money, or does he begin to have sympathy for the man? Occasionally he talks about his need to "understand greatness," but that potentially interesting idea really isn't pursued by Shelton all that vigorously. So all that's left is for Al to be a doormat and babysitter. This completely kills Wuhl's final scene because we don't understand why he does what he does.
"Cobb" isn't a terrible film, but it could, and should, have been a lot better. The two performances are strong but not supported by the poorly thought-out screenplay. And there are some scenes towards the end that do have a certain poignancy, such as when Ty is watching a glowing recap of his career only to have the narrator also cover the horrors of his personal life (which no one else can see, of course). But in the end, this movie needed a director who knew his characters and what he wanted to say about them. Even if it wasn't true.
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