Schrader really isn't interested in Crane except as the straw man for his moral lessons about sin and sexuality and the nature of celebrity.
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01/16/03
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Auto Focus (2002)
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Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:36
Fresh:27
Rotten:9
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: Kinnear and Dafoe help make this downward spiral of one man's life a compelling watch.
Theatrical Release:Oct 18, 2002 Limited
Box Office: $1,818,622
Synopsis: AUTO FOCUS is the story of Bob Crane (Greg Kinnear), who was the star of the television series HOGAN'S HEROES in the 1960s. Before he achieved that particular fame, Crane was a popular radio talk... [More]
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Willem Dafoe, Rita Wilson, Maria Bello
Director: Paul Schrader
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Reviews for Auto Focus
Top CriticHow do you make a movie with depth about a man who lacked any? On the evidence before us, the answer is clear: Not easily and, in the end, not well enough.
11/08/02
Top CriticAdmirably unconventional film.
11/01/02
Top CriticIt never answers the key question: Why should we care?
11/01/02
Top CriticIt's no fun to watch, but there's no denying the power of its point of view, of its two lead performances and of its claim to attention as an evocation of recent social history.
11/01/02
Top CriticYou may want to fast-forward to a movie with a point.
11/01/02
Top CriticAlthough Kinnear looks the part, he's never able to capture Crane's intangible charm, a peculiar mix of leering slickness and affable class clown.
11/01/02
Top CriticSomewhat blurred, but Kinnear's performance is razor sharp.
10/29/02
Top CriticKinnear's performance is a career-defining revelation.
10/29/02
Top CriticMichael Gerbosi's script is economically packed with telling scenes.
10/29/02
Top CriticFrom the opening razzmatazz and Vegas lounge-band arrangements behind the credits, to the crime-lab murder scene itself, Mr. Schrader captures the air-conditioned look and feel of the Hollywood dream factory.
10/29/02
Top CriticKinnear ... gives his best screen performance with an oddly winning portrayal of one of life's ultimate losers.
10/26/02
Top CriticA compelling, sympathetic portrait.
10/25/02
Top CriticKinnear throws himself into the role, but because he's playing a bad actor who's unaware he's acting, his skill may not always be apparent.
10/25/02
Top CriticSchrader, I think, has found an approach that suits the skewed cultural history of his material.
10/25/02
Top CriticA hypnotic portrait of this sad, compulsive life.
10/25/02
Top CriticWith nary a glimmer of self-knowledge, [Crane] becomes more specimen than character -- and Auto Focus remains a chilly, clinical lab report.
10/25/02
Top CriticIt's a provocative, challenging study in denial and one of its star's and its director's all-time bests.
10/24/02
Top CriticOften as poignant as it is perverse.
10/24/02
Top CriticKinnear gives an amazing performance as the Hogan's Heroes star.
10/24/02
Top CriticLatest News for Auto Focus
November 17, 2005:
Critical Consensus: "Harry Potter," "Walk the Line" Both Certified Fre
This week's wide releases find us within both a goblet and a burnin' ring of fire. We've got legends, both fantastic ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") and... More...
May 17, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: "A History of Violence"
Thanks to the official Cannes Film Festival website for posting the all-new trailer for David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence." The New Line Cinema release, which... More...
December 09, 2004:
Schrader's Shelved Exorcist Sequel to See Limited Release in '05
Moviehole chimes in with an exclusive scoop update on Paul Schrader's version of "Exorcist: The Beginning": "Why isn't Paul Schrader's cut of "The Exorcist:... More...
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