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26 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :- Not a baseball movie, and not appreciated., 21 January 2001 Author: rezeew from Lynn, MA
Although this film is hardly "about" baseball, it has been classified by some as a "baseball movie," a category in which it does not belong and in which it could certainly be disappointing.Like Al Stump's book on which it was based, Cobb is a biographical film, an exploration of a twisted mind, one that happened to belong to one of history's great ballplayers.Cobb is the archetype villain, and viewers will hate him appropriately. The portrayal of Cobb is truly villainous, and the distaste viewers will feel for the character is genuine. There are few things more compelling, at least to me, than a truly genuine villainous character.Tommy Lee Jones shines as the aged Cobb, somehow turning this wretched man into an aging, dying sympathetic character, desperately clinging to anyone and anything he can. Robert Wuhl's performance is dry and mostly lifeless, as has become commonplace with him.The baseball fan with a sense of historical appreciation will not be disappointed, as the dialogue is sharp and sprinkled with little baseball morsels among Stump's narrative about the foul man's nature and demeanor. Others will (or should) appreciate the tale of the final days of Ty Cobb just for the opportunity to despise the twisted old man.Anyone out to see "a baseball movie" should expect to be disappointed by this film. Anyone with a true appreciation for Ty Cobb, baseball, history or psychology in general should appreciate this unique film as it is - an excellent tale with a superlative central character and wonderful insight.
12 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :- A great story despite being a lot darker than most sports biographies, 7 February 2004 Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK
When sportswriter Al Stump is contracted to write the autobiography of baseball player Ty Cobb, he believes he has it made. Cobb had a reputation as a mean player who is cruel, bigoted and monstrous. Al quickly learns that this reputation was well earned and that Cobb is all the things that he is reputed to be. As the pair set off to Reno in a middle of a snowstorm, Cobb tells him the story of his life, although the bitter, angry mess that is Cobb tells him all he needs to know about the past.When I sat to watch this film, I was aware that it was meant to be pretty harsh in terms of how it portrayed Cobb, but I didn't realise just how little of his career this film would touch upon. The film never shirks from showing Cobb to be the monstrous man he was claimed to be - either in his cruel career where he would sharpen his studs to hurt opponents or his personal life where he destroyed his family. Despite this the first half (and much of the film) is a fairly lively, almost comic affair that is deceptively enjoyable to watch. What this overall tone succeeds in doing is making the rest of the film that much more shocking and powerful as a result. The first significant turn is where Cobb gets `laid' in Reno - a moment that turns quickly from sensitive and comic to violent and scary and then almost immediately to the tragic.This film missed out on a full cinematic release due to harsh reviews, but I really don't understand why it got them. The only thing I can think of is that the reviewers felt this was an unfair portrayal of Cobb; I do not know anything about him, nor do I care about baseball as a sport so maybe I am being conned by this film but it is certainly a very interesting character who is looked at as part of an interesting and imaginative film. The film doesn't look very much at Ty's career but instead focuses on the man - this is much more interesting and it is done through straightforward means as well as more imaginative touches such as the extension of the career newsreel to Ty's low points.The film really works well, but I cannot imagine it being as good were it not for the fiery performance from Jones. I don't know how close it is to the real Cobb, but for the material he gets it just right. He balances the character on a knife-edge to the point that nobody could really feel sorry for him but at the same time it is difficult to hate him. Support from Wuhl is OK but not really as good - he wisely stands in the shadow of Jones. The support cast do well, with a small but important performance from Davidovich.Overall, this is much darker than I expected from a baseball film from Shelton; however it is better for it. I cannot comment on how fair it is to the real Cobb, but regardless of this it is a really enjoyable character piece with a great central performance. It keeps the audience by swinging wildly between the comic, the dark and the tragic, keeping us with it all the time. It is a dark drama but still enjoyable and sadly great underrated and underseen.
13 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :- What a Ballplayer, comedy, 29 November 2003 Author: Chukar from Palm Desert, CA. USA
This film is one of my all time favorites. There are some things in the film that I am less than happy about, such as the attempted rape in the hotel room in Reno. I don't believe it actually happened. I have read a few biographical books on Cobb and even though few people ever liked him, there were some things he would not do. Its strange, but many people will see somebody who is detestable, in most respects, and that person is therefore guilty of anything that can be said about him. Ty Cobb was a "son of the south" who never got over his father's murder, and he also never, ever, got over the Civil War. As I recall, he entered the major's in 1904 or 1905.As I said above, the movie "Cobb" is best viewed as a comedy; and I think it was intended to be seen as such by the film makers. I compare it to the film, "A Clockwork Orange." In A Clockwork Orange you had a story of a guy name Alex who had things happen to him, often humorous, because of who he was. At the end of A Clockwork Orange, in the last scene, you have to admit that you could only snicker at what was on Alex's mind listening to his beloved 9th once again, since he had now been "cured." I also remember the scene in the film that you see from the Bible where Jesus is carrying the cross and is being flogged. The camera pans back to the Roman who is doing the whipping, and it is Alex.In Cobb, the first part of the movie is one of the funniest I have ever seen; especially the ride down the hill in the snow to Reno. The film has a lot of truth in it but it actually leaves out a lot. The Scene in which you see Cobb beating up the fan who is crippled is true. But what is not said is that the whole team put itself on the line in backing Cobb in what he did; they went on strike against Cobb's suspension. So, Cobb was not hated quite like he was shown to be in the film, and the film did a discredit to Cobb in some areas. Oh, by the way, that fan that was beatup in the film was Jimmy Buffet from "Lost in Margaritaville" music fame. Jimmy is a good friend of Tommy Lee Jones.Actually, I rather doubt that you could make a real true film about Ty Cobb that could be saleable at the box-office. Ty Cobb was not funny, and he had little sense of humor; he absolutely had no sense of humor about himself. He was a bigot. You did not dare make fun of him to his face. He could explode into a life threatening altercation at the drop of a hat. However, I do believe he was courteous to women for the most part, and that is another area I have problem with what is depicted in the film. Cobb was a Redneck and a great deal like many other Rednecks from the south at that time. In his time there was a great deal of KKK activity going on in the South and the rest of the country for that matter. Cobb reflected his times, and never changed.Also, baseball was a lot different then than it is today. It was a completely different time. Baseball was the ticket for the poor and exploited to get out of the coal mines, the iron mills, or the farm fields. It was much more of a dog eat dog world than it is today. The average player today can move into some other endeavor if he didn't make it. In Cobb's time, it was back to the coal mines and an early death. To quote Ty Cobb: "It's no pink tea, and mollycoddler's had better stay out." Baseball was a do or die affair and there were no holds barred as long as you could get away with it.Cobb, in many ways was not that different than many, but he was the best baseball player of his time, and quite possibly the greatest that ever lived. And, he played baseball with a fury that nobody else, before or since, has played with. Unfortunately, he could not turn off that fury when he wasn't playing the game. For Ty Cobb, baseball was absolute war and he devoted himself 100-percent to playing it that way and he also devoted his mental capacities 100-percent to the study of getting the edge on his opponents. He would do or say anything to get you out of your game. Cobb could also circle the bases faster than anyone who has ever played the game, with his spikes sharpened. He was rather big for his time and was about the same height as Babe Ruth. Couple that size with that speed and the grit in his demeanor and nobody ever enjoyed or looked forward to playing against him. "What a ballplayer."
7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :- Tommy Lee Jones at his Best, 5 March 1999 Author: Michael Fleischhacker from United States
This little seen film has Tommy Lee Jones giving one of the best performances of his career. It is a shame that the film was given only a limited release with no advertising budget. I know of many who wanted to see this movie, but it was in and out of the theaters before they could notice."Cobb" gets one of my highest recommendations. No Jones fan can justify not seeing this movie.
11 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :- One of the greatest performance I ever see, 8 February 2002 Author: Hector Paludi (cobb8@starmedia.com) from Bs As, Argentina
I love this movie. I have seen it about 13 times. This is Tommy Lee Jones' best performance, just beautiful. I can not believe that he didn't recieve an Oscar nomination for this performance. That year Tom Hanks won the Oscar for 'Forrest Gump' That's Ok. But check the other nominees: Morgan Freeman (The shawshank ...); Paul Newman (Nobody's fool) and John Travolta (Pulp Fiction). Are you going to tell me that these performances are better than the Jones' in Cobb? I don't think so. Anyway, the movie is great. You must see it. 10 of 10
4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :- I watched spellbound, with mouth agape, at the first 10 minutes of this film!, 10 September 2005 Author: jimgo3 from Michigan, USA
Terrific Movie! Surely Tommy Lee Jones best ever performance.It must have taken me an hour before I was no longer shocked at the comments and actions of Jones' portrayal, of Ty Cobb's life story.Could all this stuff be true? I wouldn't know, but it sure made for a great flick! Cobb gives the word "Irreverence" a new meaning! Assuming his exploits were real, he was odious, yet so bizarre, disrespectful, unique, uninhibited, humorous, and talented, I couldn't help but be drawn to him. He'd be fun to go out drinking with, but I'd keep a close eye on him, and be ready vamoose at the drop of hat! "Cobb" is an extremely entertaining film.
9 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :- Foul, 5 December 2002 Author: Robert J. Maxwell (rmax304823@yahoo.com) from Deming, New Mexico
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
I wonder if Al Stump ("Stumpy" to Cobb) realized what he was doing in telling this story, how much of himself and his own dilemma he was revealing. Frustrated because Cobb has final editorial approval of the biography in progress, Stump tells us in voice-over that he decided to do the one thing that Cobb never did -- lie. He would write one bio almost solely about baseball for Cobb to read, and another secret one, hidden away on scraps, that showed the real man and would be published after Cobb's death, which is never far away. How can Stump make the statement that Cobb never lied? He seems to lie about anything, whenever the whim moves him, including the darkest aspects of his character determinants. Exaggerration, dissembling, hiding or shading the truth, it happens all the time with Cobb. Even about baseball, which was the most important thing in his life. He's dismissive of people like Babe Ruth. When Stump forces him to say SOMEthing good about the man, Cobb allows, "He could run okay -- for a fat man." It leaves us wondering just how much of the story we're watching is true and how much was limned and polished after the fact since, after all, what Joyce Carol Oates called "pathographies" sell much better than hagiographies. We'd rather read about a bastard than a saint. It's corrupted our scholarship, but never mind. The movie is made watchable by Jones' performance. That's about it. Lolita Davidovitch is beautiful but her part is almost unnecessary. Stumpy combines nicely a particularly kind of Jewish Angst with an equally ethnic tendency to be pushed only so far before counterattacking on his own behalf. (I don't think I minded him as much as some other commentators seem to have.)The script doesn't give poor Jones much to do except mutate into a Teppischfresser every few minutes, screaming, shouting, laughing hysterically, shooting off pistols, and in general carrying on like some animal in a zoo. He's given scenes that are simply not true to the character as otherwise written. Visiting his daughter's house in his home town, he sits in the car and watches while she looks out the window, identifies him, and draws the curtains closed. Tears trickle down his cheeks, but why? He hasn't bothered to contact her for fifteen years. A family get-together while they sit around the dinner table and trade compliments? The Cobb we see in the rest of the film wouldn't have given a damn about his daughter or anyone else except himself. But maybe it has something to do with facing mortality. If so, it's not made clear. Still, the most affecting scene is one in which Cobb begins to vomit blood and cough up lung tissue in a motel bathroom. "This is how it starts," he mutters to his mirror image. "This is what it looks like." He might be scared as hell but he's never sorry for anything he's done and has no capacity for self pity. Some people may find this trait -- not sparing anyone's feelings -- admirable. I don't. Social life is a tissue of lies from beginning to end, and if you don't make some minimal effort to play by this simple and somewhat silly rule of the game -- well, others are liable to treat you as if you had slid into second base wearing shoes with razor-sharp cleats. Al grows to like this old curmudgeon, but let's not forget that Cobb was Al's meal ticket.
9 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :- athlete-hero as sonofabitch, 2 June 1999 Author: Robert D. Ruplenas
If this movie exaggerates the nastiness of Ty Cobb, his descendants could sue. Then again if the movie is accurate, his descendants clearly despise him as much as anyone else. The weirdly symbiotic relationship between Cobb and his hapless biographer Aaron Stump is engrossing to watch, but it is Tommy Lee Jones' performance that makes the movie. The performance borders on chewing up the scenery, but it's mesmerizing.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :- Tommy Lee Jones makes me care, 9 December 1998 Author: Miriam from MD, USA
I normally would have absolutely no interest in seeing a Baseball movie. But this is no normal Baseball movie. This is a movie with Tommy Lee Jones in it. He portrays a vicious, nasty, evil, abusive, racist, violent, rage-filled man. And his fans know, Tommy Lee Jones does this type of man as no other can. Although he is perhaps too young for the role, he was unfairly absent from the Oscar ballot that year. He made me laugh during his insane moments (of which there were many), he scared me during a particular brutal moment, and he made me cry during his weak moments. Side-kick Robert Wuhl seems a bit toady, but you eventually realize he loves Cobb <Jones as Cobb, at least> as much as you do. This is a wonderful movie. Worth renting, absolutely. For those of you whom doubt Tommy Lee Jones ability, rent Cobb, The Fugitive, and Heaven and Earth or Men in Black. This man is fantastic; he makes Cobb great.
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :- A good movie about a great baseball player who was a loathsome human being, 26 April 2006 Author: larry.launders from Texas
Presuming all we have heard about Ty Cobb's off-field life are true, this movie is a wonderful portrayal.Tommie Lee Jones' portrayal of Cobb is incredible. He instantly presents a well educated, highly opinionated and full-of-himself fading hero. Jones' character portrayal runs the gamut of Cobb's audacity, bigotry, bravado, charity and unabashed directness.Those of you with thin skins may balk at some of the language used, some of the rumored occurrences and for those of you for whom Ty Cobb is a hero, you may be disillusioned by some of what is portrayed. However, as I said if what we've heard about Cobb is half true, this movie doesn't seem too far off the mark.Robert Wuhl's portrayal of Al Stump ("Stumpy" to Cobb), is fairly well done. Wuhl often tends to seem wooden in his performances but perhaps this is an occasion where that quality suits both the character and as a foil to Jones' Cobb. The narrative that goes with the movie moves it along well, and fits well as it is the writers narrative and Wuhl plays the writer.The supporting scenes to the primary story lend life to the rumors and life outside of baseball in brilliant display. From the early scenes of a valet leaving Mr. Cobbs' service, to the later scenes of him dealing with his former contemporaries, you will be taken on a roller-coaster ride of despising Cobb and feeling genuinely sorry for him at the same time.It's a shame this movie hasn't had a better showing. If not for fans of a baseball legend, for Tommie Lee Jones' portrayal at the least.
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