Auto Focus

Part biopic, part meditation on sexual addiction, Auto Focus may take its fair share of dramatic licence with the base facts of Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane's life but remains a compelling watch with its light-hearted, almost campy tone; it's a film that gets to you like a low-grade fever, a malaise with no known antidote, a misanthropic treatise on American masculinity and its sexualised image. It can be painfully funny at times, but as the film goes on, Crane's personal life steadily implodes and professional life goes on the decline, a sense of darkness and desperation overtakes the film. Schrader directs with a very smooth hand, providing a good-natured and frequently amusing spin to eventually grim material that aptly reflects Crane's almost unfailing good humour. Even if you've never watched an episode of Hogan's Heroes, Auto Focus is worth a spin even if it's just for the flawless performances of Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe. The film never does explain the whys behind Bob Crane's addiction, but it recounts the disease and its toll on the man in vivid, sometimes shocking and always fascinating terms.

Well presented biopic of a minor show industry personality whose career was ruined due to sexual addiction. Starting with the clever introductory credits, the movie is very well photographed. There is a certain amount of nudity, but nothing offensive. Overall a sad story.

A movie about the facade of one's life, and a man's downward spiral, that for the most part is a compelling watch.

You watch it and don't watch it at the same time.

This showbiz biopic was alright. Greg Kinnear, Willem Dafoe, Rita Wilson, Maria Bello, and the rest of the cast did a pretty good job in this movie. This true story about actor Bob Crane was dramatic, dark, and depressing. It's about addiction and losing everything in the process. If you haven't seen this movie yet, don't waste your time. It's not worth watching.

Not a movie you will want to see over and over again, but its a nice biopic of the man who played Col. Hogan from the beloved sitcom Hogans Heroes and his fall from grace.

Sharp filmmaking style skillfully mimics Crane’s descent from bland to manic, but the performances, though competent, feel restrained & dulled. Bleak ending falls a little flat - it doesn’t conclude so much as it just… stops. #nitrosMovieChallenge

Greg Kinnear is outstanding in his role as the troubled Bob Crane and there is probably a movie to be made about Crane's life. Not sure this is it however. The mystery of who killed him is no clearer and by the end you feel that Crane was not the greatest bloke and husband going around. You don't really know much more about him than a cursory look at Wikipedia might offer though and that is the biggest flaw in the movie. The recreations of Hogan's Heroes are great and the feel of the 1970's is captured really well but it all feels a bit like biting into an apple pie and finding the filling is missing. If you are a huge fan of either Crane or Hogan's Heroes it may be worth a look but it is heavy going and reminds you a bit of wading through mud without ever really finding firm ground.

did a good job of showing - without the usual Hollywood sympathy - of a person caught in a downward moral spiral

+ A look at how the devil gets in through the cracks and then leads even those who are reluctant, at first, toward the slippery oily slope and away from all that's anchored & good. + Maybe not Kinnear's best - & he's usually terrific in even modest productions - but still good, if sad, since we already know the ending at the beginning. + The cinematography is great at the beginning, really good. But then, per the director, it becomes cliché from a hundred TV movies - life & decisions become more shaky, so does the increasingly handheld camera as the lighting also flattens-out. It would be interesting to see a different take on this pseudo Soderbergh motif.