Ty Cobb's biographer was a drunk who took the job writing the story as an assignment, not a passion. Cobb obviously didn't think much of him.
As for Cobb's autobiographical tale, he says he was a defender of honor and of baseball. He claims he was a victim of professional jealousy.
This movie chose to present Cobb as a violent drunk that was despised by baseball. But, if the point was to present Cobb as a despicable character, they could have done worse. The fact is, there are many terrible tales about Cobb - most written in newspapers at the time. The biography that this movie was based on presents Cobb in a much more negative light. So why didn't they "go all the way" and tell ALL of the terrible stories and ALL of the terrible details?
This movie (in particular, the writers and producers) had no backbone; the resulting script is one-sided and watered-down. For what it's worth, Cobb's autobiography is a good read, with many details of his life after baseball that were left out of this movie. The real truth about Cobb is probably like the truth about most other people - a complicated mix of the good and the bad that results in a complex character. Unfortunately, this movie fell short of a complete portrait of Cobb, because they didn't try to present a complete portrait.
RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria:
Acting: 1/1;
Casting: 1/1;
Directing: 1/1;
Story: 0/1;
Writing/Screenplay: 0.5/1;
Total Base Score = 3.5
Modifiers (+ or -):
Standout Performances: +0.5 ( Tommy Lee Jones. Although a very negative portrayal, it was an impressive performance.);
Total RealReview Rating: 4.
As for Cobb's autobiographical tale, he says he was a defender of honor and of baseball. He claims he was a victim of professional jealousy.
This movie chose to present Cobb as a violent drunk that was despised by baseball. But, if the point was to present Cobb as a despicable character, they could have done worse. The fact is, there are many terrible tales about Cobb - most written in newspapers at the time. The biography that this movie was based on presents Cobb in a much more negative light. So why didn't they "go all the way" and tell ALL of the terrible stories and ALL of the terrible details?
This movie (in particular, the writers and producers) had no backbone; the resulting script is one-sided and watered-down. For what it's worth, Cobb's autobiography is a good read, with many details of his life after baseball that were left out of this movie. The real truth about Cobb is probably like the truth about most other people - a complicated mix of the good and the bad that results in a complex character. Unfortunately, this movie fell short of a complete portrait of Cobb, because they didn't try to present a complete portrait.
RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria:
Acting: 1/1;
Casting: 1/1;
Directing: 1/1;
Story: 0/1;
Writing/Screenplay: 0.5/1;
Total Base Score = 3.5
Modifiers (+ or -):
Standout Performances: +0.5 ( Tommy Lee Jones. Although a very negative portrayal, it was an impressive performance.);
Total RealReview Rating: 4.