Kinnear is well cast in the role of the initially insecure but amiable Hogan, who believes that likeability is 90% of the battle, which is good news as he sees himself as the typical likeable guy, always wanting to make an impression. Kinnear manages admirably to break down the image that his hard-to-beat performance as Jack Nicholson’s gay neighbour in the vastly under-rated, ‘As Good As It Gets,’ by putting everything into his portrait of Crane. Even in scenes where he is filming ‘Hogan’s Heroes,’ he manages to convey both the part he is playing and the actor he is playing in tandem through his quietly expressive face.

Bob is ultimately a good man, tee-total, devoted to his family although not spending enough time with them through work, who has a small skeleton in the pornographic magazines he keeps in the garage (due to an interest in photography, he tell his wife.) It is his friendship with John Carpenter (Carpy) played with restrained magnificence by the gorgeous Willem Dafoe, that sees Bob slowly fall off the rails. Carpy is a technical expert, working for Sony, doing a good line in selling expensive hi-fi’s and video tape recorders to the rich and famous. Pretending to be a fan of the show, he takes Bob to a local strip club, where Bob, apprehensive at first, is soon adopted as drummer by the resident band, accompanying the girls’ routines. This quickly leads to double dates with Carpy, and the recording of their exploits for them both to drool over afterwards.

His marriage soon collapses and Bob leaves Anne for his co-star on Hogan’s Heroes, Patty (Maria Bello) who tells him she understands him and is willing to put up with the other women. With this encouragement, and Carp pushing him further into excess, Bob’s real life, acting and fantasy life start to collide in a series of blackouts/hallucinations. Bob tries to spend less time with Carp, but he is already hopelessly addicted to their excessive lifestyle. Carp keeps him interested by showering him with better and improved video cameras. Their post mortem of each orgy afterwards as they masturbate in front of each other, watching the previous night’s events, becomes almost as important as the orgies themselves. For Bob they are proof of his versatility on screen. They are his acting taken to its next stage. As the friendship between the two men deteriorates due to Bob’s increasing disrespect of Carp, his life spirals towards its bloody end.

This downbeat, voyeuristic take on success and its temptations really hits the button. Greg Kinnear in possibly his best form ever is almost upstaged by Dafoe, who beneath the sliminess, really makes you care about his character, despite his unscrupulous immorality. A suitably creepy screenplay from Paul Schrader and a subtle homo-erotic undertow make this seedy take on ‘A Star is Born’ uncomfortably compulsive viewing.

Laura Hird is the Orange and Whitbread nominated author of the collection, ‘Nail and Other Stories’ and novel, ‘Born Free.’ Her short stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies internationally. Her new collection of short stories is due to be published by Canongate Books in May 2005. She runs and edits her own loosely arts-related website on which she seeks out and publishes new poetry, short stories, reviews, interviews etc. She was born and lives in Edinburgh.

© 2004 Laura Hird All rights reserved.