I wanted to like this movie. I really did. All the elements seemed to be there: two good actors – one an Academy Award winner. Paul Schrader – the guy who wrote ‘Taxi Driver’ & ‘Raging Bull’ directed it. And most of all, it had the orgy-filled life and brutal murder of ‘Hogan’s Heroes’ star Bob Crane as the subject. But great pieces don’t always add up to a great all around work, and this one left me pissed off I didn’t spend my $9 on ‘Bowling For Columbine.’

The back story: Bob Crane was a happily married church-going non-drinker, until that little bitch called fame stepped in and turned his life into a downward spiral of indiscriminate sport fucking – all captured on tape by the then newly-invented ‘video camera’ by a really creepy groupie / party buddy named Paul Carpenter. Although Carpenter was found not guilty of the camera tripod to-the head bludgeoning murder, the movie heavily implies he was indeed very guilty.

Now here’s my beef: we’re led to believe that Carpenter killed Crane because he kicked him out of the clubhouse - no longer allowing him to ride his celebrity coattails (what little remained of them.) Sounds plausible. But only on two occasions does Crane even reference his ‘I’m the boss and you’re the flunky’ theory – and both are fairly low key.

I wanted to see more of a battle between them - Crane’s never impressed big shot to Carpenter’s flunky. Homo erotic and bizarre? Yes – but needed to believe his guilt.

So save your cash, and watch the E! True Hollywood Story instead. There might be a lot less bush in it than the movie (but truthfully most of it’s nasty hairy 70 bush, anyway ) but a lot more interesting.