Cobb Movie Review 1994

Biography of Ty Cobb (Jones), the universally acknowledged "most hated man in baseball" who, near the end of his life, realizes he doesn't want to be remembered in that way. So he hires sportswriter Al Stump (Wuhl) to ghostwrite (read: sugarcoat) his life story. As seen through Stump's eyes, Cobb is an unrelenting, petty, bigoted, hateful, paranoid, drunken, and yet compelling man. They form an uneasy bond as Stump duly records the fiction Cobb is feeding him, secretly deciding to write the truth after the legend's death. Jones is at his scene-chewing, antagonistic best, while Wuhl seems both overwhelmed and overshadowed as the embattled Stump. Shelton has something to say about American hero worship and a celebrity's desire for posterity, but with the focus intent on portraying Cobb's meanness, it's hard to say what. Surprisingly little baseball action for a baseball bio. Based on Stump's "Cobb: A Biography."

Distribution

Warner Home Video, Inc., 5775 Linder Canyon Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91362, URL: http://whv.warnerbros.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS
Running time 128 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Growing Older, Biopics: Sports, Baseball, Sports Dramas, Period Piece: 20th Century, Front Page

Screenplay

Ron Shelton

Cast

Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Wuhl, Lolita (David) Davidovich

Cinematography

Russell Boyd

Director

Ron Shelton

Producer

David Lester, Arnon Milchan, Regency Enterprises, Alcor Films, Warner Bros.