The most puzzling thing about “Auto Focus” is there doesn’t seem to be a point to it. Bob Crane was a minor celebrity who is only infamous today because of his brutal murder – fodder for a “True Hollywood Story,” maybe, but not a Paul Schrader movie.
Greg Kinnear does what he can with the role, and he’s good. But the movie doesn’t seem to even attempt to explain the psychology that made the ultimate square become a porn-addicted sleazebag. (*That* would have made an interesting movie.) So all we’re left with is the sad events of Crane’s later life, played out flatly (and slowly) by Kinnear and an always-creepy Willem Dafoe. Beware this one.
My suggestion? Rent “Reversal of Fortune” instead. It does a brilliant job of illuminating the psychology of those infamous dissolutes Claus and Sunny Von Bulow. And it’s fantastically entertaining to boot. Highly, highly recommended.
Auto Focus lacked focus?
I haven’t seen AutoFocus yet, but I kind of like the idea of presenting us with a situation and not telling us why it is what it is. At least it sounds like a “draw your own conclusion” thing. Maybe the absence of anything to base a conclusion on is going too far.
Who knows why people do things? Most times, all we get is the process, without explanation.