Disappointing film treatment of the tragic, ugly life of small pop culture icon and sex addict Bob Crane.
Paul Schrader's filmography shows his strongest talent lies in writing and composing screenplays, not directing. Auto Focus plays out as a series of moving sleazy flashcards that build toward the inevitable and the result is a cold, dull, unsatisfying film that doesn't even have the power of the E!True Hollywood Story on Mr. Crane.
All the actors are fine -Rita Wilson and Maria Bello are great at first but then they vanish and we're left with Dafoe and Kinnear who both do as well as anyone could with their parts- but the distance Schrader's camera keeps between the audience and their characters strips them of any sense of humanity. Instead of probing or observing, it merely slogs. The dark side of human sexuality has always been his creative fount but also his own film indulgence and it makes for the ultimate experience in pointless artistic expression. Auto Focus winds up being your typical movie treatment of the life of a Hollywood casuality. Skip it.
Paul Schrader's filmography shows his strongest talent lies in writing and composing screenplays, not directing. Auto Focus plays out as a series of moving sleazy flashcards that build toward the inevitable and the result is a cold, dull, unsatisfying film that doesn't even have the power of the E!True Hollywood Story on Mr. Crane.
All the actors are fine -Rita Wilson and Maria Bello are great at first but then they vanish and we're left with Dafoe and Kinnear who both do as well as anyone could with their parts- but the distance Schrader's camera keeps between the audience and their characters strips them of any sense of humanity. Instead of probing or observing, it merely slogs. The dark side of human sexuality has always been his creative fount but also his own film indulgence and it makes for the ultimate experience in pointless artistic expression. Auto Focus winds up being your typical movie treatment of the life of a Hollywood casuality. Skip it.