Talking To The Screen
Auto Focus
The biopic is the alcoholic brother of the documentary.
Without question, there have been some very successful, even monumental biopics. (?Ghandi?, ?X?) I like to call these ?the functional alcoholics?; they don?t think they have a problem and you almost believe them. Then there are all the rest. These guys come to your house reeking of hooch and start rambling. Their story starts off quite charming often focusing on a character that you wish you once knew or an amazing situation that you?ve fantasized about. But they keep talking. And the sound of their own voice seems to have an effect as intoxicating as the drink they just spilled on your carpet. You notice that their story isn?t going anywhere. There?s no arc.
?This guy?ooooh he was the greatest?this one time?oh jeez I never laughed so hard?.oh and then back in ?73 when he was cruisin? cross country and met up with Intriguing Almost Historical Figure?and that other time-? And so on.
But you don?t want to be rude, or maybe you want to see where he?s going with this, eager for those elusive ?moments of clarity?. So you let him finish his meandering tale with too many details and loose ends. Then its over. Finally. Your curiosity might have been piqued. You might be enraged. You might just try to forget. If you keep letting him into your house, it just might lead you to drink.
?Auto Focus? is the story of Bob Crane, star of Hogan?s Heroes. According to this Paul Schrader film, Crane was also a sex addict with a fascination for burgeoning video technology. On a positive note, Greg Kinnear is flawless in his portrayal of Crane in all his machinations: loving father and husband, addict, divorcee, radio personality, tv star, member of the ?once famous?. Equally effective is Willem Defoe as John Carpenter, Crane?s enabler who introduces him to the video camera and the marvelous world of strip clubs and swinging parties. Defoe walks the thin line between desperate and despicable with circus performer proficiency.
No one seemed to tell Paul Schrader that good characters, well acted is not enough to make a movie. You also need to tell a story. There?s too much fat in this movie. Scenes that are only tangentially related to the ill defined plotline ought to be fleshed out or left on the cutting room floor. The sloppy film making of ?Auto Focus? left me with far too many questions. Why does it matter that Carpe is color blind? Why did Crane?s second wife, who knew about his addiction, leave him? Why is the movie called ?Auto Focus??
To highlight the biopic/documentary distinction watch ?Ali?, enjoy it, then watch ?When We Were Kings?, and be pissed that you got conned so easily into enjoying the mediocre-at-best ?Ali?.
For effective depictions of addiction try ?Leaving Las Vegas? and ?Requiem for a Dream?. Unfortunately and slightly embarrassingly, I can?t think of a good account of sex addiction apart from season two of ?Six Feet Under?.
Without question, there have been some very successful, even monumental biopics. (?Ghandi?, ?X?) I like to call these ?the functional alcoholics?; they don?t think they have a problem and you almost believe them. Then there are all the rest. These guys come to your house reeking of hooch and start rambling. Their story starts off quite charming often focusing on a character that you wish you once knew or an amazing situation that you?ve fantasized about. But they keep talking. And the sound of their own voice seems to have an effect as intoxicating as the drink they just spilled on your carpet. You notice that their story isn?t going anywhere. There?s no arc.
?This guy?ooooh he was the greatest?this one time?oh jeez I never laughed so hard?.oh and then back in ?73 when he was cruisin? cross country and met up with Intriguing Almost Historical Figure?and that other time-? And so on.
But you don?t want to be rude, or maybe you want to see where he?s going with this, eager for those elusive ?moments of clarity?. So you let him finish his meandering tale with too many details and loose ends. Then its over. Finally. Your curiosity might have been piqued. You might be enraged. You might just try to forget. If you keep letting him into your house, it just might lead you to drink.
?Auto Focus? is the story of Bob Crane, star of Hogan?s Heroes. According to this Paul Schrader film, Crane was also a sex addict with a fascination for burgeoning video technology. On a positive note, Greg Kinnear is flawless in his portrayal of Crane in all his machinations: loving father and husband, addict, divorcee, radio personality, tv star, member of the ?once famous?. Equally effective is Willem Defoe as John Carpenter, Crane?s enabler who introduces him to the video camera and the marvelous world of strip clubs and swinging parties. Defoe walks the thin line between desperate and despicable with circus performer proficiency.
No one seemed to tell Paul Schrader that good characters, well acted is not enough to make a movie. You also need to tell a story. There?s too much fat in this movie. Scenes that are only tangentially related to the ill defined plotline ought to be fleshed out or left on the cutting room floor. The sloppy film making of ?Auto Focus? left me with far too many questions. Why does it matter that Carpe is color blind? Why did Crane?s second wife, who knew about his addiction, leave him? Why is the movie called ?Auto Focus??
To highlight the biopic/documentary distinction watch ?Ali?, enjoy it, then watch ?When We Were Kings?, and be pissed that you got conned so easily into enjoying the mediocre-at-best ?Ali?.
For effective depictions of addiction try ?Leaving Las Vegas? and ?Requiem for a Dream?. Unfortunately and slightly embarrassingly, I can?t think of a good account of sex addiction apart from season two of ?Six Feet Under?.