MOVIE REVIEW: PRIMETIME

 

Chris Hansen, host of "To Catch a Predator," sets out to make television history in 2006.

Director: Lance Oppenheim

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Bokeem Woodbine, Anna Faris

Release Date: September 25, 2026

 

Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Rated R for disturbing sexual material, graphic nudity, some violent content, and language.

Runtime: 1h 50m

Review:

Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime takes beats from the 1976’s Network and 2014’s Nightcrawler to capture the standard definition sensationalism of To Catch a Predator, powered by stellar turn from Robert Pattinson.  Oppenheim’s first narrative feature is neon tinted character study of Chris Hansen as he and his producer’s drive to make their show the biggest thing on TV.  He gives his film a tangible immediacy from start to finish even as the whole thing turns into a fever dream of misguided self-aggrandizing, justice.  It’s a fascinating film that envelopes you on multiple levels as we go down the rabbit hole along with the characters in the film.  None of the characters are portrayed in a particularly favorable lights with most of them, outside of Skyler Gisondo’s naïve Decoy Dan, being painted as little more than hollow people chasing notoriety and relevance at any cost.  There’s a griminess to it all that bleeds through the screen that’s hard to ignore which gives you a clear idea of what the filmmaker thinks of the whole endeavor.  At the center of it all is Robert Pattinson who perfectly captures Hanson’s inflections and tone which makes it easier to ignore the fact that he looks nothing like the real person.  Pattinson delivers some of his best work of the year, impressive on its own after delivering memorable performances in The Odyssey and The Drama earlier this year.  He’s entrancing anytime he’s onscreen which makes you wonder why the film devotes so much time to Skyler Gisondo’s character.  That’s not to say Gisondo performance isn’t great because it is, but the character just isn’t as interesting as the film’s version of Hansen. Pattinson manages to capture the character’s drive to be respected for what he considers a noble task regardless of how he gets there, highlighted by a couple of hilarious encounters with Dateline stalwart, Stone Phillips.  Merritt Wever is devilishly good as Hansen’s producer that’s more than game to get as much of the salacious content as possible until she slowly starts losing control of the show.  The film takes a much more abstract approach in the final act which won’t work for everyone, but it doesn’t detract from the electric energy of Primetime and its central star.  

B+