Looking like a third-generation videotape, Primetime immediately stands out. Its look is jarring, especially on a big movie theater screen; it feels like someone smuggled in a pirated VHS copy of the movie, handed it to the projectionist along with a wad of cash, and said quietly “Let ‘er rip.”
Inspired by true events in the 2000s, director Lance Oppenheimer, who is known for his documentaries Some Kind of Heaven (2020) and Spermworld (2024), makes his narrative feature film debut look like a documentary, stealing behind the scenes footage from the making of To Catch a Predator, which aired on broadcast network NBC as a segment of news magazine Dateline NBC from November 2004 to December 2007.
Robert Pattinson stars as Chris Hansen, the host of each segment. From outward appearances, he is an ambitious television personality who is popular and respected by his peers. Merritt Weaver portrays Andie Bender, the segment producer, who is ruthless in her efficiency, as producers tend to be, always working under tremendous pressures, juggling demands from the network, her crew, local authorities, and the segment’s sole “talent,” Chris Hansen, which requires that she walk a thin line of respect and control.
Although he appears to be on the top of his world, Hansen is also dealing with serious relationship issues. He is constantly away from the home he shares with his wife Mary (Anna Ferris) and two sons, and has been carrying on an affair, which does not end well. That leaves him open to undercover operatives working for publicity-seeking weasels.
The irony that Chris Hansen is victimized by undercover operatives, even as he stars in To Catch a Predator, which relies upon undercover operatives, is woven skillfully into the narrative spun by director Oppenheimer, which fairly thrums with tension. Early on, Hansen and his producer, Andie, meet with NBC Entertainment president Jeff Zucker, playing himself, who declares that he doesn’t like their segment, yet the public does. Thus, he pushes them to go further and to find more notable predators, so he can schedule To Catch a Predator as its own show in primetime.
That prospect, dangled in front of them, pushes both star and producer into sketchier waters, tempting them to consider smashing their own shaky moral boundaries into smithereens.
Skyler Gisondo gives a standout performance as Dan Plumb, a young actor who auditions for a mysterious role and ends up portraying multiple variations of the role. Pretending to be a 13-year-old boy, he meets with adult males who have responded to the character’s invitation, extended after prolonged conversations of a sexual nature in internet chat rooms. To add another layer of creepiness, the chat room conversations are initiated by Xavier Von Erck (Matthew Mayer), who is in reality working with To Catch a Predator.
Frankly, the premise of the movie sounded singularly unappealing to me when I first heard about it, especially since I only vaguely recalled the segment. And, truthfully, the movie version includes elements that are repugnant. Yet, director Lance Oppenheimer constructs a scenario in which Robert Pattinson, Merritt Weaver, and Skyler Gisondo help to elevate the tawdry material into a searing indictment of ‘reality’ TV that burns up a movie screen and leaves it in ashes.
The film opens Friday, September 25, in movie theaters throughout Dallas and Fort Worth, via A24 Films. Visit the official site for locations, showtimes, and more information.
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