MovieChat Forums > Auto Focus (2002) Discussion > Favorite scene?

Favorite scene?

posted 18 years ago by gatemouthrb
23 replies | jump to latest

I loved this movie. My favorite scene, IMHO, was when Crane and Carpenter just start to get their pace and they bring the two girls back to Carpenter's appartment and one of the girls says "What..? You mean the party is just the four of us? What gives??".

Crane and Carpenter look at each other, and then, as a crisis maneuver, break into the HOKEYIST 'Hogan's Hero' schtick (and Kinnear and Dafoe just NAIL it.) Instead of the two girls calling them lame fools, they instead are charmed, and giggle dreamily at the mere reminder that the star himself (Crane) is there in the flesh, and it's game-on again.

The scene shows perfectly how the value of being a celebrity would enable two total cads to get away with just about anything. The movie showed them as the most cornball loosers around, but, of course, being the pop culture flavor-of-the week gave Crane super human powers to seduce.

That was the '60's, but it makes me wonder if "celebrity" is even MORE powerful today.

Anyway, anybody got another favorite?

[–] womackphotokcmo 18 years ago

That is my fave scene, as well. BTW, what is the name of the tall brunette that grabbed Kinnears crotch? I thought I had it, but, I can't find the name I thought it was in the credits. I'm probably looking right at it.

"The only person to celebrate Valentines Day the right way was Al Capone!". John Becker, M.D.

[–] tornhill-1 16 years ago

For me it is clearly the masturbation scence where Crane and Carpenter watch a videotape of one of there latest succsexes in the basement and masturbate to it while discussing the strange enigma called woman. Quite hilarious.

[–] tracee-garside 16 years ago

Gatemouth, a great scene you mentioned there. I also love in that beginning of that scene, how Bob's attitude and ego has already changed, in the way he declares "I'm going for the blonde!". When Carpy says nervously says "But, Bob...I've been working on her." Bob gets stern and says firmly "I'm HAVING the blonde...I'm sure you'll make do."

tornhill-1, I too was going to name the basement-masturbatiuon scene as one of my favourites! But whereas you say you find the scene quite hillaious, I find it quite sad and depressing raelly. At this point in the film and their "sexual depravity", it really shows how low they've become, openly masturbating infront of each other like it's second nature. The look of the scene, the sad score music playing, Bob's dishevelled appearence and glum-nature at this point, a great and sad scene for me.

My other personal favourite scenes in the film -

Bob's chat with the priest in the diner, while not being able to take his eyes off the cute, star-struck blonde.

Bob and Carpenter's fist meeting on the film lot, where Carpy is fitting the Hi-Fi system and plays Bob his car stereo.

Bob and Carpy's first "party" back at John's place. Carpy plays The Four Top's "Helpless", and he and Bob secretly talk off having sex with the girls as they slip vodka's into the girl's drinks.

The "Real Gone Lover" montage. Bob doing dinner Theatre/searching through porn photos, he and Carpy dancing with girls, Carpy in the Hogan's Heroes jacket ect...

Bob's awfull appearence on the cookery programme.

Bob's final meeting wih his agent - very dark and sad. Their relationship in the film has always been a touching one for me. His agent really did care for him, I felt.

Bob's talk with Scotty in the car.

Bob "Breaking" up with John in the club/John's heated phone-call later that night.

Pain and truth? I'm a fat fuqqin' crook from New Jersey!

- Tony Soprano

[–] wwkentucky 16 years ago

tracee-garside wrote << Bob's final meeting wih his agent - very dark and sad. Their relationship in the film has always been a touching one for me. His agent really did care for him, I felt. >>

I agree and will add that I think this is one of Kinnear's best moments in the film. We see the character drift back and forth between the desperation of his present situation and the glib persona of his younger, more innocent days.

"Older Bob" fails to realize why his lifestyle has destroyed the goodwill established by "Younger Bob." The two personas (referred to as "Good Bob" and "Bad Bob" in the Director's Commentary) cannot peacefully co-exist in the same body/mind.

Crane refuses to concede the truth about his inner demons in this scene, but he does begin to demonstrate an inner struggle. This struggle is played out beautifully in front of the sympathetic agent "Lenny" as Crane simultaneously asks for and refuses help.

This is my favorite scene in the movie.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tracee-garside 16 years ago

wwKentucky, well said! One of the greatest moments in the movie, no doubt.

Pain and truth? I'm a fat fuqqin' crook from New Jersey!

- Tony Soprano

[–] Tjcat 15 years ago

The scene in the nightclub when "Carpy" asks
a woman, "You know what time it is? It's ***k time!"
Complete with the graphics on "Carpy's" digital wristwatch.
The woman's expression is hilarious!

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Loomis_Orange 15 years ago

Ominous, ain't it?

Whither goest thou, America, In thy shiny car in the night? ~ Jack Kerouac

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Loomis_Orange 15 years ago

The clingy stalkerish tapping of the glass... like you said.

I alwsys like the "orange" conversation. It seemed to come from somewhere else.. I never forgot it. Every time I see the color orange, I think of that scene in the car with his son. Remember, one of the first scenes he shot was of his first wife doing dishes? She was wearing an orange dress with a simple white "band" collar. They were popular in the sixties as your "casual home to good friends for lunch or barbecue" dresses. I think Pauly must have lifted it from "The Color Purple" tho. I used to have an orange dress with a white band collar... in fifth grade.

Whither goest thou, America, In thy shiny car in the night? ~ Jack Kerouac

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Loomis_Orange 15 years ago

The two sides of the coin are made so evident for us that it's almost blinding. The interior of the house he shared with his first wife. The walls were bright yellow, the refrigerator was a sky blue and the carpeting in the living room and everything just sung out "happy family man" and then the darkness begun to fall. Remember the excitment on his face as he and the wife and kids sat around their console TV as he showed them what the camera had taken of their daily lives. He mentioned that it was like "Live Polaroids" His wife gave him "that look" when he said it because she's already found his magazines and made him throw them out. He was sitting there on his couch dreaming of his dark fantasies while watching the family films and then the tides turned and he would sit on his private couch and dream of the family films while being driven to watch his latest home made porn..

That movie sticks with ya..

Whither goest thou, America, In thy shiny car in the night? ~ Jack Kerouac

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jefgg 12 years ago

I like when Bob Crane talks about his traditional values and says "don't make waves".

[–] bigcat20 11 years ago

"i got Procol Harum"

[–] etabacek 10 years ago

no, it was 'Got any Procol Harum?' Then Carpy says, 'no, but I got the Four Tops'

Fav. Scene: When Bob and Carpy went to the pool party and in the background, you see Carpy get into a karate stance after a disagreement with a hippee over the war.

Keith Moon was the greatest 'Keith Moon Style' drummer ever!!

[–] daverindone 9 years ago

That transitional scene when Bob meets with his Pastor and you can almost see the divide between Crane trying to get out what he's into and having women pretty much through themselves at him. He's like "I've been playing at various, uh strip type, strip clubs..." Then the guy was like "Hey, play with us!" Bob's face then:

Strip Club, Bob playing away with a huge grin on his face.

[–] Kenneth-8 8 years ago

Don't. Make. Waves.

[–] ecarle (14979) 4 years ago

A "side scene" only involving Dafoe as John Carpenter was very memorable. Its not my favorite scene in the movie, but it had shock value.

Dafoe's acting partner in the scene is Michael McKean -- who started out as part of "Lenny and Squiggy," and has worked for decades since, in Spinal Tap and Christoper Guest's improve comedy mockumentaries, and recently as the older brother on Better Call Saul.

In the scene, Crane's friend John Carpenter(played by Willem Dafoe) is in charge of the technical side of a 1960's demonstration of color television to a room full of big shots; McKean is leading the presentation. The colors on the TV screen are all wrong -- McKean nicely sends the VIPs out("There is coffee and Danish in the next room, gentlemen") and then gives Dafoe a reaming out("You son of a bitch! You're color blind , AREN'T YOU!!") and fires him on the spot.

I've never forgotten that bit of corporate villainy.

[–] mirelurk (884) 2 years ago

It's a really great movie. I think my favorite scene has to be Willem Dafoe explaining to Greg that he wasn't gay for trying to fondle him during the orgy lol

[–] agentalbert (3088) a year ago

I liked pretty much the whole movie, but particularly enjoyed the first scene with that sexy, curvy dancer "Miss Kitty" which is about 17 minutes in when Bob, Richard and Carpenter are at the club, and Bob ends up sitting in with the band.