Critic Reviews
Auto Focus (2002) Rank 4 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (310) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Reviews by Score:
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Eddie Cantor once told Bob Crane, "likability is 90 percent of the battle." It seems to be 100 percent of Bob Crane's battle; there is nothing there except likability--no values, no self-awareness, no judgment, no perspective, not even an instinct for sur ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
The film is pitch-perfect in its decor, music, clothes, cars, language and values. It takes place during those heady years between the introduction of the Pill and the specter of AIDS, when men shaped as adolescents by Playboy in the 1950s now found some ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Michael Gerbosi's script might have reduced Crane to a clueless cliche were it not for the bruised humanity that Greg Kinnear brings to the role. Kinnear is dynamite. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Reno Gazette-Journal (Forrest Hartman)
Even if you’ve never watched an episode of Hogan’s Heroes, Auto Focus is worth a spin in your DVD player. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Reno Gazette-Journal (Forrest Hartman)
Premiere Magazine (Glenn Kenny)
Auto Focus is tough stuff, but it's as profoundly resonant as it is immediately disturbing. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Premiere Magazine (Glenn Kenny)
ToxicUniverse.com (Lee Chase IV)
State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL) (Nick Rogers)
Schrader weaves American sexual mores, advances in video technology, dangerous impulses and awareness of self into one compelling thread. The movie has a precise vision — funny, sad and profound all at once. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL) (Nick Rogers)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
A potent and provocative look at how the male ego is affected by sex and self-image, especially when magnified by celebrity. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Movie Gurus (David Trier)
I’m not sure why Crane’s story is so important to tell, but I’d be lying if I said the movie wasn’t well-acted and entertaining. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Movie Gurus (David Trier)
AboutFilm.com (Carlo Cavagna)
Entertainment Weekly
Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
Los Angeles Times (Manohla Dargis)
In Auto Focus, the strangely wonderful and weirdly touching new film from Paul Schrader, the comedy and the tragedy keep getting mixed up. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Los Angeles Times (Manohla Dargis)
Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
In this admirably unconventional film, director Paul Schrader is interested in just about everything BUT traditional biopic business. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
Austin Chronicle (Steve Davis)
The set and art direction are superb, evoking Sixties and Seventies décor with a dazzling precision. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Austin Chronicle (Steve Davis)
New York Daily News (Jami Bernard)
This movie is for select tastes. It's not the fusillade of porn that wears you down, but the melancholy of watching an unremarkable man glide down the tubes as if on a water slide. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at New York Daily News (Jami Bernard)
Goatdog's Movies (Michael W. Phillips, Jr.)
CinemaSpeak.com (Ryan Kugler)
Dallas Morning News (Jane Sumner)
It's a provocative, challenging study in denial and one of its star's and its director's all-time bests. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Dallas Morning News (Jane Sumner)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Reeling Reviews (Robin Clifford)
Schrader examines Crane’s decline with unblinking candor. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Reeling Reviews (Robin Clifford)
Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)
Crane's story is a modern Hollywood tragedy, and Schrader and Kinnear treat it with the utmost respect, creating a film that is both touching and bittersweet. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)
Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
Kinnear ... gives his best screen performance with an oddly winning portrayal of one of life's ultimate losers. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
Palo Alto Online (Tyler Hanley)
TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide
Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
Movie Navigator (Shaun Sages)
ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Austin Chronicle (Steve Davis)
DVD Clinic ("JoBlo")
Reel Movie Critic (Lee Shoquist)
New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
Schrader's strongest movie since "Affliction," is another meditation on American masculinity powerfully told with great wit and style. ...read the complete Auto Focus movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
ESpy.ca (Andrew Dignan)
Perth Sunday Times
User Reviews
by Terry Richard "Te... on July 15, 2009
I was never a fan of the 1960's TV series "Hogan's Heroes", but I always enjoyed the acting of the star of that sitcom Bob Crane. I have also always been enthralled by the unsolved mystery of Crane's death in 1978. It has become common knowlege that ...
by Bernard Chapin "O... on February 19, 2008
I just saw this film for the second time over the weekend and must, once again, express amazement over the outstanding work that Greg Kinnear put in. I grew up watching Hogan's Heroes and I think he made an excellent Bob Crane. As for Willem Dafoe, I ...
by Jeffrey Leach on May 21, 2007
When I took a trip to see my relatives recently, I noticed with some interest my grandfather's fascination with old television programs. He doesn't get around as much as he once did, so he spends a lot of time parked in front of the television set ...
by Magickal Merlin "... on January 23, 2007
The film is nearly accurate.What the film does not show is why the Scottsdale DA dropped the air-tight case.I would not be surprised if a powerful Hollywood friend of his underling John Carpentier,had pressured the DA to drop the case.The evidence was ...
by Tsuyoshi on November 23, 2003
Based on the book "The Murder of Robert Crane" by Robert Graysmith, "Auto Forcus" describes the life of Bob Crane, popular DJ and actor, best remembered as the star of TV POW sitcom in the 60s. According to the film, he lived a life everybodu would envy ...
by P. Aliprandini "o... on November 12, 2003
I grew up watching old reruns of Hogan's Heros, so when this came out I rushed to the movies to see it. I was aware of Bob Cranes murder but was unaware of the extent of his swinger lifestyle. This movie did a wonderful job at showing the downfall of ...
by Michael Bolts on October 09, 2003
a great retelling of a celebrity who had it all then lost it with sex and drugs and booze and then one night he was murdered and no one till this day knows who killed Bob Crane. Kinnear is exact and he shows how Crane's life took a spiral to oblivion. ...
by Robert I. Hedges on August 31, 2003
I was fascinated by this film, which was a realistic portrait of a man living a dual life. Bob Crane, the good looking charmer from "Hogan's Heroes" seemingly had it all, a beautiful family, fame, money, looks and health. Greg Kinnear is brilliant as ...
by Jason Kirkfield on September 22, 2009
5 stars for Greg Kinnear as Bob Crane. William Dafoe is super creepy as John Carpenter. Is he even acting? LOL
The rest of the cast is mostly a blur but this is a biopic after all.
I've wanted to watch Auto Focus for some time. It recently came up on ...
by RMurray847 "afilm... on July 23, 2009
I remember in 1978 hearing on the news that Bob Crane had been murdered. I was about 14 at the time, and I was a little bummed, because I occasionally watched reruns of HOGAN'S HEROES (although it was never a real favorite of mine). Every five years or ...
User Comments
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! My Web
Facebook
Google Bookmarks
ma.gnolia
Newsvine
reddit
Windows Live
