Auto Focus

"A day without sex is a day wasted."

2002 1h 44m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 226

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

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A successful TV star during the 1960s, former "Hogan's Heroes" actor Bob Crane projects a wholesome family-man image, but this front masks his persona as a sex addict who records and photographs his many encounters with women, often with the help of his seedy friend, John Henry Carpenter. This biographical drama reveals how Crane's double life takes its toll on him and his family, and ultimately contributes to his death.

“A day without sex is a day wasted.”

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Cast

Greg Kinnear
Bob Crane
Willem Dafoe
John Carpenter
Rita Wilson
Anne Crane
Maria Bello
Patricia Olson / Patrica Crane
Ron Leibman
Lenny
Kurt Fuller
Werner Klemperer
Ed Begley Jr.
Mel Rosen
Michael E. Rodgers
Richard Dawson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Paul Schrader
Writers: Michael Gerbosi
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 29% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Paul Schrader, shot by Fred Murphy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Angelo Badalamenti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kristina Boden shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe and Rita Wilson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A day without sex is a day wasted.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0298744 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Paul Schrader directs. Fred Murphy behind the camera. Angelo Badalamenti scores. Kristina Boden cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 29% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 24 years ago.
3Directed by Paul Schrader, shot by Fred Murphy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Angelo Badalamenti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Kristina Boden shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe and Rita Wilson carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A day without sex is a day wasted.".
8IMDB entry: tt0298744 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 12 themes, including "adultery", "infidelity", "pornography", "based on novel or book".

The technical file

Cinematography: Fred Murphy
Original score: Angelo Badalamenti
Editing: Kristina Boden
Production design: James Chinlund
Costume design: Julie Weiss
Makeup / hair: Rob Hinderstein
VFX supervisor: Ziad Seirafi
Sound: Daniel Pellerin
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $7,000,000
Box office: $2,062,066
Return: 29% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Auto Focus (2002)

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Paul Schrader

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2025-07-05
★ 7/10
Bob Crane's growing sexual addiction and murder Crane (Greg Kinnear) befriends a video expert named John Carpenter (Willem Dafoe) around the time he gets the gig for Hogan's Heroes. He is soon seduced by the temptations of being a big star; "free sex" is the sin du jour of the era and Crane can't resist the scores of beautiful women who want him. Unlike Crane, Carpenter isn't a star and isn't handsome, but he's able to continually pick up women simply due to his friendship with Bob. During and, especially, after his popular TV show, Crane experiences a downward spiral as he becomes entangled in the web of loose sex. By June, 1978, he was dead at 49. "Auto Focus" (2002) was based on Robert Graysmith's book "The Murder of Bob Crane: Who Killed the Star of Hogan's Heroes?," which – believe it or not – depicts Crane's plunge into sexual immorality even worse than seen in the movie. Director Paul Schrader is a writer or director of quite a few critically acclaimed films, like "Taxi Driver" (writer), "The Mosquito Coast" (writer) and "Hardcore" (writer & director). Speaking of "Hardcore," that film also addresses the subject of sexual hedonism with focus on a fascinating father/daughter relationship that develops between a staunch Calvinist conservative (George C. Scott) and a young lost prostitute (Season Hubley). "Auto Focus" may not be quite as good but, if you can handle the sleazy aspects, it maintains your attention and the actors do a quality job. Rita Wilson and Maria Bello are on hand as Crane's wife and mistress/new-wife respectively. Meanwhile Michael E. Rodgers plays Bob's somewhat nemesis, Richard Dawson. The DVD features a documentary on Crane's death and the most obvious culprit, John Carpenter. It's an interesting case, to say the least. I shouldn't fail to add that I know someone who worked as a waitress at an A&W in my area during the mid-70s when Crane was forced to do traveling theater work to earn a living, as shown in the movie. She waited on him & another guy and Bob was his typically amiable self, just with a decidedly smart-alecky edge. I guess my friend didn't act starstruck enough because he didn't leave her a tip! It runs 1 hour, 45 minutes, and was shot in California and Arizona. GRADE: B

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