Maria Bello Movie:

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Editorial Review:
Auto Focus captures the scandalous private life of Bob Crane, star of the German P.O.W. camp sitcom Hogan's Heroes. Greg Kinnear plays the affable comic actor, who nursed an obsession with sex--pornography, strippers, swinging, domination, and especially the videotaping of his own sexual exploits. His behavior led to the downfall of two marriages and enmeshed Crane in a strangely symbiotic relationship with a video equipment salesman named John Carpenter (Willem Dafoe); Carpenter provided the technology, and Crane (through the power of his fame) provided the girls. Their friendship ultimately wore thin and may have led to Crane's gruesome death. Auto Focus is a lot like an episode of Behind the Music, but with sex in the place of the usual downfall-causing drugs; though elegantly filmed, it doesn't delve too deeply into Crane's joy, and so never gets a genuine feel for his pain either. --Bret Fetzer

Auto Focus [Region 2] Reviews:
Disturbing, but Oscar-worthy by Kinnear
2009-09-22 - 5 stars for Greg Kinnear as Bob Crane. William Dafoe is super creepy as John Carpenter. Is he even acting? LOL

The rest of the cast is mostly a blur but this is a biopic after all.

I've wanted to watch Auto Focus for some time. It recently came up on On Demand so I got lucky. If I were to consider getting the DVD now, it wouldn't necessarily be to watch the film again, but rather for all the extras (commentaries & documentaries). It should come with a coupon good for a free shower!

Not sure if it will post, but a brilliant interview with Kinnear on the film is here:
http://www.ugo.com/channels/filmTv/features/autofocus/gregkinnear.asp

If not, at least here's an insightful quote:

"I think if Bob Crane were selling insurance instead of acting, he would still have had the same problems. I don't think the temptation is exclusive to celebrity. I think everybody, in their own life, has them. Does celebrity grease the wheel? Absolutely. Are there enablers around? Certainly. The bigger issue of temptation, avoiding it and making conscious decisions to maybe not go down certain roads, that everybody has to deal with it. Whether Bob is choosing to go down certain roads, it's not only about sex. It's an addiction."

Fascinating look at sexual addiction that is naturally a bit squalid.
2009-07-23 - I remember in 1978 hearing on the news that Bob Crane had been murdered. I was about 14 at the time, and I was a little bummed, because I occasionally watched reruns of HOGAN'S HEROES (although it was never a real favorite of mine). Every five years or so, it would occur to me that I never heard if they found out who killed Crane. But that was before Google, so I never checked.

Then, when I heard about the movie AUTO FOCUS coming out, and that it would reveal the sleazy life of Bob Crane...I began to understand a bit more, as an adult, that Crane's murder wasn't just a robbery or random act. It was, it appears, the ultimate outcome of many years of leading a furtive life that allowed him to indulge in his sex addictions.

We've seen so many movies over the years where stars are shown with drug addictions, alcohol addictions or simply "fooling around" over and over on their spouses. Sometimes combinations of the above. Crane was different because his addiction was sexual (yes, he "fooled around"...but it was more than that. Crane clearly had a true addiction to sex, porn and the related exciting possibilities brought about by the emergence of Video Tape Recorders).

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD: I'll be talking more in detail about the plot than usual for me, because the EVENTS that happen, to me, aren't as important as the mood and mindset of the two main characters. If you'd still rather not know, skip ahead.

In the fascinating film, we first meet Crane (Greg Kinnear) as an affable, goofy radio DJ / talk show host. He's a popular radio personality, but yearns to return to the screen. He's offered the role as Hogan in a comedy about a POW camp in WWII, and after some reluctance (a lot of people assume it's a comedy about a concentration camp...which would clearly be a career killer), Crane accepts the part. He's a handsome, charming, church-going family man with an easy smile, an agreeable manner with fans and a loving wife (Rita Wilson) and father of three. It's the late `60s, but Crane doesn't listen to rock `n' roll, he doesn't drink and he doesn't cheat. He's a good guy.

We see women throwing themselves at him, but he brushes them off. But when he meets (to his great misfortune) the greasy but compelling John Carpenter (no relation to the director!), his hidden desires come to the forefront. It's almost a perfect storm of bad circumstances. He is vaguely interested in Carpenter (Willem Dafoe) because the man is very interested in electronics (he works for Sony, and always has the most cutting edge devices)...and Crane has an interest in photography and when he hears about video photography, he's like a kid in a candy store. Then he meets Carpenter at a strip joint to socialize and when he expresses his interest in drumming, Carpenter gets the club owner to let Crane "guest" on drums with the live band that accompanies the stripper. And Crane eats that up! For awhile, drumming is all he does, and we viewers wish that was where it stopped. But Carpenter, like a minor league Svengali, entices Crane with the easy women and with the realization that Crane's stardom gives them their pick of women and Carpenter's technical know-how gives them an opportunity to videotape themselves with these women.

It's all downhill from there. The two men are addicted to the porn they create. The movie is a fascinating portrayal of sexual addiction, I have to admit. I've not really seen it addressed in such a manner, as a central topic. Crane cannot help himself...he needs more and more women, because he needs more and more photos and videos. He is insatiable.

Naturally, his home life is destroyed; his career suffers, and so forth. The trajectory of his life is ultimately not all that interesting...it is the dissection of his madness that makes the film noteworthy. He talks about getting treatment. He even remarries (Mario Bello) and tries to walk more straight and narrow. But he also uses his trips to perform dinner theatre around the country as excuses to meet new groups of women eager to be filmed. And hanging by his side through all this is the leech-like Carpenter. That Crane was eventually murdered in an ugly, seedy fashion is no surprise.

END OF SPOILERS: In many ways, the film is of little importance. A very minor star and his sordid descent into sexual insanity. Titillating but hardly "important." However, I would argue that it is worth seeing for the performances. Rita Wilson (who rarely works) is very good as Crane's wife. Her gradual realization of just who she's married to his subtly done. Bello, whose part is actually fairly small, presents us with another of her patented smart but sexy women. Dafoe, who for me can frequently be a very annoying overactor, is well suited to this part, because he CAN play desperate, greasy and just a little nuts very well. But this is Kinnear's best performance. We've seen him do the nice, gentle guy (AS GOOD AS IT GETS), the nice, handsome guy (SABRINA), the nice but stressed guy (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) and even the nice but just a little crazy guy (FLASH OF GENIUS). Here he's the nice but sick `n' twisted guy. His performance is splendid because almost right up to the end he seems like just a nice, ordinary American guy who is just a little befuddled that his nice life is consumed with sex and homemade porn. We root for him to shape up. We often feel that he's right on the verge of pulling himself out of his debauchery. It's a simple, clean performance that nonetheless has many layers of complexity. I dare say that he should have received more notice at awards time...but the film came and went so quickly that no one remembered it.

The film is also nice to look at. The art direction, taking us from mid `60s to late `70s is impeccable. Costumes and hair are great. The aging on Crane is well done. Director Paul Schrader tells his story in a straightforward manner with no fancy tricks...kinda like Kinnear's performance. (And the brief recreations of HOGAN'S HEROES are a hoot, if you know the series.)

It's a VERY R-rated film...with lots of nudity and just an all-around "mature" theme. I didn't love the film, because in the end, it was all so squalid and insignificant. But I great admired it, and would recommend it to mature movie-goers. If you like Greg Kinnear, it's particularly a must-see.


The Darker Side Of Hollywood"
2009-07-15 - I was never a fan of the 1960's TV series "Hogan's Heroes", but I always enjoyed the acting of the star of that sitcom Bob Crane. I have also always been enthralled by the unsolved mystery of Crane's death in 1978. It has become common knowlege that Crane had a severe sex addiction and that he liked to videotape his sexual exploits with his young female sex partners. This film, "Auto Focus", deals with Crane's eventual rise to TV stardom and his descent into his deeper and darker side of sexual addiction. Greg Kinnear does a superb job in portraying Bob Crane. When the film documents scenes from "Hogan's Heroes" you actually believe your watching Crane all over again. Kinnear's mannerisms, voice, and the way he wears that hat that Crane made famous are impeccable. William Dafoe does a good job in playing the friend of Crane's who introduced him to the world of videotape recording machines.
The film is presented in widescreen, there's a making-of featurette on the film, commentaries are included, deleted scenes are added, plus much more. The jewel here, as far as bonuses are concerned, is the 50 minute documentary entitled "Murder in Scottsdale", that documents Crane's murder and the reopening of the case 15 years later.
Todd McCarthy of Variety says "this is one of director Paul Schrader's best films, and like "Boogie Nights" ranks as a shrewd expose of recent Hollywood's slimy underside...".

Just decent
2009-03-05 - When "Auto Focus" begins Bob Crane (Greg Kinnear) hasn't become a household name as a result of his starring in "Hogan's Heroes". He's a corny radio disc jockey and failed drummer. He's a devoted family man who accompanies his wife Anne (Rita Wilson) and their three kids to church every Sunday. Crane is desperate for his big break and when he receives the Hogan's script he has his doubts. After Anne tells him it's a great opportunity he signs on and the show becomes a hit. This exposure means that Crane is more recognizable to female fans who constantly ask to take pictures with him. He doesn't mind the female adoration plus he's a photography nut. During a lunch break on set one day he meets John Carpenter (Willem Defoe) a rep for Sony. The two strike up a conversation and Carpenter tells Crane about the new advances in video recording technology. He invites Crane out for drinks but since he's going to a strip club Crane is hesitant. He goes and so begins his dive into the sexual underbelly. Soon he is playing backup on drums at numerous gentleman's clubs all over town. He tells Anne about his late night activities and even confesses to his priest in a diner. Not content with watching the girls Crane and Carpenter start taking the showgirls back to Carpenter's place where they take nude photos of them before having orgies. Carpenter films all of this without Crane or the women knowing. At first Crane is reluctant and has to be talked into it but after doing it a couple of times he's in total control and even takes girls away from Carpenter. This causes some friction between the two men but the only time they have a big falling out is when Crane suspects Carpenter of being gay. Carpenter assures him that he isn't but Crane never gets over his suspicions about his new best friend. Anne discovers the nude photos of the other women and files for divorce. Crane had begun dating his Hogan's costar Patti Olson (Maria Bello) and when Anne is out of the picture he marries Patti. She is aware of his lifestyle and approves telling him that she doesn't want him to feel like he has to be somebody he's not. As Crane gets deeper and deeper weekends turn into constant orgies with swingers and hippies. Hogan's ends and his career is permanently stalled. Unable to get film work because of his dangerous reputation Crane is relegated to doing dinner theater with Patti. This leaves him a bitter and pathetic man with nothing but the promise of sex to keep him going. The film just gets darker and more depraved leading up to the brutal murder of Crane that's still unsolved. Carpenter is the main suspect since Crane finally came to his senses and tried to get out of the life before it killed him. The film may be more interested in the nudity and sex so the extra features attempt to investigate the murder in more detail . There's a fifty minute documentary called "Murder in Scottsdale" that builds a pretty strong case against Carpenter who died five years after Crane of a heart attack. This film got all rave reviews by critics but I think it's a standard bio pic frankly. Kinnear is a great and unappreciated actor and his performance is very challenging taking Crane from a loving family man to a bitter, alcoholic, sex fiend. Defoe is reliable as always, Maria Bello is sexy and gives a good performance as always. Schrader's directing is strong from a stylistic sense and the story he's telling is certainly interesting. Just decent in my opinion.

Riveting and Disturbing
2008-02-19 - I just saw this film for the second time over the weekend and must, once again, express amazement over the outstanding work that Greg Kinnear put in. I grew up watching Hogan's Heroes and I think he made an excellent Bob Crane. As for Willem Dafoe, I don't recall him ever being less than spectacular in anything I've seen. Generally when he is on camera it is impossible not to train one's eyes on him. He was a highly believable John Carpenter.

What can one say about the lives these two men led? To them having sex or any other human interaction was secondary, in terms of pleasure, to watching their act as a video recording at a later date. Their proclivities make no sense to the normal person. We watch these characters with total bewilderment. The later Crane is a bit of an everyman in relation to social outcastes, however. Regardless of his talent as an actor he has separated himself from society and their mores which prevents anyone from wanting anything to do with him. Yes, his is a wretched tale, but Auto Focus is brilliant portrait of addiction. One cannot help but feel sorry for a man who had so much yet gave it all away.