07-05-14 Cobb (1994)

Seen: May 11th, 2007
Format: Broadcast - HDNMV (HD-Net Movies)
Rating: 7

I wanted to love this film so much. It had great writing, great dialogue and even a few great performances. It tears down some ideas we have about sports heroes, making them human, if not particularly humane. It had it all except the casting.

I don't know who was ultimately responsible for casting Robert Wuhl in this film, but I hope they never cast another films a long as they live.

Wuhl is a schlub. This is not necessarily a bad thing, he's made a pretty good living from it. He was discovered by Dangerfield, who had a very successful career being a schlub. But schlub was not the right call for this character.

I don't know if Al Stump was a schlub, and I don't care. This is film, make the best one you can.

Basically, Wuhl has no prayer playing against Tommy Lee Jones here. Jones' performance is simply stellar. He rides Cobb right up, over the top, and back down the other side to start again. His Cobb is so nasty, so egotistical and narcissistic and yet has a charisma and charm that is undeniable. Everything about the man is a consistent love hate relationship.

Al Stump is supposed to be the foil here. He's supposed to be the one we relate to, the one we discover the real Cobb through. He is us, our eyes, ears, heart and conscience. His journey is the journey of the film, the one we've signed up to take. And he just can't hack it.

I may be ranting a bit here, but this single fact it what drops the film from 8+ to 7- for me. It is distracting and consistently undermines the film.

The rest of it is good as well. The writing is simply superb. The flow of the film, from scene to scene and location to location moves it along briskly. While there are a few anachronisms, the details of the period are well done. They're unobtrusive, but really enhance the feel of the film.

Other roles are well played also. Davidovich, a favorite, is unabashedly trashy here. Lou Meyers shines. Ned Bellamy is completely forgettable because he so completely melts into the role of the man in the background.

If you've ever idolized a celebrity, be they a sports figure, actor or politician, see this film. See it if you love baseball, especially if you revere Cobb. See it to learn a little about yourself.

The Good: Jones pulls out the stops

The Bad: Wuhl? Why?

The Ugly: The demands we place on heroes