Cobb (1994) - Ron Shelton

August 1, 1993

COBB

Screenplay by Ron Shelton

Synopsis by Brian Aldrich

In 1960, AL STUMP, 40, is a weary sportswriter who regularly gets drunk with his cronies and dreams of writing something great one day. He gets an interesting assignment: to help the great ballplayer TY COBB write his autobiography.

Al travels to Cobb's mountain retreat in Colorado and finds an obnoxious, near-death, asshole of a human being. Cobb is dying and he knows it. Pills and booze are all that keep him alive along with his bitter hatred of all people and things. Cobb doesn't want Al digging into his psychology to write a tell-all book. Cobb's idea of autobiography is a guide book to better baseball playing. So, Al writes two books. He lets Cobb see the insipid bio and hides the real one.

Cobb wants to get laid and hits the road to Reno despite the snow storm outside. After surviving an accident, Cobb pulls a gun and forces Al to let him drive Al's car. They make it to Reno and go gambling. Al is disgusted with Cobb and gets drunk. Al goes off with RAMONA, a sexy cigarette girl, but a jealous, drunken Cobb breaks down his bedroom door and drags the girl away. In his room, Cobb cannot perform and pays the girl $1000 to say he was a great lover. Al accompanies and cares for Cobb as they make the trip to a testimonial dinner at the Hall of Fame. While watching a documentary on his own life, Cobb begins to see hallucinations portraying his actual miserable life. Cobb makes an ass of himself and feels left out by time.

By this time, Cobb and Al have become rather close, although neither would say so. While Al sleeps off his hangover, Cobb finds and reads the real book. Cobb gets angry and hemorrhages. Al visits Cobb for the last time in the hospital where Cobb is still in total control of his own life, waving a gun, flirting and drinking. Cobb confesses that his FATHER wasn't accidentally killed by his MOTHER, but accidentally killed by his mother's LOVER. He gives Al permission to print the real book. Cobb dies. Al decides to honor the hero. Al publishes the thin book and stores the real one. (Obviously, this script is the real story.)

Summary Criticism: While the subject is intriguing, the story is all too familiar and the ending comes off false and unsatisfying.

Cobb (1994) - imdb

Cobb (1994) - wiki