By Nicole Kobie
Hollywood has produced a lot of strange stories, on-screen and off. Auto Focus is a bit of both.
Telling the story of Hogan’s Heroes’ star Bob Crane’s rise to fame, descent to weirdness and eventual murder, Auto Focus is technically a good film. The dialogue is interesting, the acting is compelling, and the writing is stellar. Yet, strangely, it’s a completely useless film. The examination of Crane’s downward spiral offers no insight into who the man was, why he did what he apparently did, or the negative effects of fame. Rather, it shows a pathetic man getting laid a lot–which sounds rather like a porn flick, doesn’t it?
Crane is shown throwing away his career and family because of a sex addiction, fueled by his creepy audio/visually-inclined buddy, John Carpenter. Scenes depicting this downfall are disturbing, but because Crane comes across as such a dumb-ass, it’s impossible to pity him. There is no explanation of why Crane is so obsessed with sex, or why his fame isn’t enough to keep him happy.
However, Crane’s lack of any endearing characteristics isn’t the fault of Greg Kinnear. Kinnear plays Crane subtlety; rather than evoking disgust, he evokes pity. He even manages to standout against the consistently brilliant Willem Dafoe who plays Carpenter.
Both actors get plenty of screen time, as Auto Focus drags on for 107 minutes. One touching scene of Carpenter and Crane wacking off in the basement to videos of their shared exploits would have been enough. The first few times it was merely disgusting, after that, it became irritating. The first time Crane’s agent warns of the negative effects his lifestyle will have on his career was more than enough. After the second, third and fourth time, both characters just look stupidly stubborn.
While it’s obvious who Auto Focus thinks killed Crane, the motivation shown is rather weak and unconvincing. And, whether Auto Focus is right about the murderer, or even about the rest of the story, remains to be seen. Crane’s son has publicly criticized the content as inaccurate. So, it’s unknown who’s the strangest: Bob Crane, for destroying his life for sex, or the makers of Auto Focus, for making something like this up. Either way, it makes for a strangely compelling film.
..Nicole Kobie