Kinnear is brilliant here ... and he's matched by Dafoe.
Comment
11/01/02
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Auto Focus (2002)
72
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:155
Fresh:112
Rotten:43
Average Rating:6.7/10
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
Watching this cold, detached movie, you never get the sense that Schrader cares one whit about Crane or is even curious about understanding the compulsions that wrecked his marriage and career and eventually cost him his life.
11/01/02
Kinnear and Dafoe give what may be the performances of their careers.
11/01/02
It'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 CriticOffers further proof that a well-acted, well-intentioned movie can be every bit as unwatchable as a film that is poorly acted and poorly conceived.
11/01/02
This Crane biography doesn't try to get at the character's motives or background.
11/01/02
While Auto Focus is in many ways a standard downer biopic, Kinnear's performance is anything but by-the-numbers.
11/01/02
Although 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 CriticSchrader, with the same clear-eyed view of lurid behavior he brought to American Gigolo and Hardcore, gives an unvarnished (not to mention unerotic) view of Crane's misadventures.
11/01/02
Greg Kinnear excels as Crane, a role that's much more rich than his previous ones.
11/01/02
[Kinnear] is perfectly cast as a character that Schrader takes from apple-pie wholesome to cadaverous by degrees.
10/31/02
What Auto-Focus lacks in finesse, it makes up for in Kinnear's multifaceted performance.
10/31/02
The emptiness of serial seductions has never been painted in starker colors. And the message of Auto Focus stings and sticks with you.
10/31/02
Translates into a mediocre episode of E!’s True Hollywood Story with more nudity.
10/31/02
Watching “Auto Focus” is like watching a man drown while he smiles at you and insists he can breathe seawater.
10/31/02
Auto Focus is tough stuff, but it's as profoundly resonant as it is immediately disturbing.
10/29/02
While Auto Focus isn't very much fun to watch, it exerts a queasy, powerful hold on us.
10/29/02
Somewhat blurred, but Kinnear's performance is razor sharp.
10/29/02
Top CriticKinnear's performance is a career-defining revelation.
10/29/02
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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