The 2000s somehow gave us “To Catch a Predator,” with host Chris Hansen turning confronting online predators into primetime TV. Which brings us to Lance Oppenheim’s “Primetime,” which takes that bizarre piece of television history and turns it into a story about ambition gone off the rails.
The film, which screened last night for press, has now had its embargo lifted: IndieWire (B), Next Best Picture (7/10), THR (mixed), AwardsWatch (B) and Variety (mixed). It currently sits at 75 on Metacritic
The movie is at its best when it’s recreating the actual show: Phoebe Bridgers’ “decoy” Del pretending to be a kid, Merritt Wever’s producer Andie scrambling behind the scenes, Tony Revolori’s creep walking in expecting one thing, and then Robert Pattinson’s Chris Hansen appearing with that perfectly casual “You see how this looks, right?” Pattinson has the tone down pat. It’s almost uncanny. Those scenes feel weirdly real, which makes them even funnier and more uncomfortable.
Once the show gets a primetime slot against “Lost,” Hansen loses the plot, obsessed with making it bigger, finding “the whale” and chasing ratings. Dan Plum (Skylar Gisondo), an aspiring actor desperate for his SAG card, becomes the new decoy and will do anything for the part. But once he sees what the job actually entails, the disgust starts to set in, even as Hansen keeps telling him they’re doing something noble. Gisondo really gets into the character and is easily the film’s best surprise. Merritt Wever is also terrific, and the little she’s given is enough to remind you what an underrated talent she is.
Pattinson is obviously great, too. He starts off restrained and almost charming, then slowly gets crazier as the pressure builds. You can see the obsession taking over. The atmosphere reminded me of “Nightcrawler,” except Hansen is convinced he’s doing good rather than just chasing a story. Anna Faris is completely wasted as his abandoned wife. None of it is nearly as interesting as scenes revolving around the show.
The ending is chaos, which feels right. Anyone who knows the history of the show knows where this is going, but Oppenheim still manages to make it tense, throwing in botched plans, crossed wires and a Hansen who is basically losing his mind in real time. It’s a little messy, but I’d take that over the movie becoming some tidy prestige drama.
Visually, “Primetime” is very interesting. Cinematographer David Bolen recreates that blown-out, slightly ugly look of early-2000s television. There’s a lot of cold blue light, overexposed interiors and grain, lots of grain, that makes everything feel vaguely diseased. Oppenheim also throws in some dizzying camera moves and awkward framing. It’s a very deliberate look, and makes the film visually unique.
Truthfully, “Primetime” doesn’t really go beyond being a good movie. For all of its outrageous entertainment value, it ultimately feels pretty surface-level — a stylishly conceived riff on a ridiculous show and its even more ridiculous host. It doesn’t dig much deeper than that, instead functioning as a time capsule of a particularly bizarre moment in 2000s television. Watching it 20 years later, the dominant reaction is less reflection than a giant palm-to-the-face: we actually watched this?
Two weeks ago, I reported that James Wan's remake of the Korean film "The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil" for Paramount was scheduled to start production in April 2027. We now have a lead.