TheFilmCritics.org

4.0/10

@thefilmcritics • Sep 26, 2026 •6 days ago

A true-crime story this inherently bizarre should not require much embellishment, yet *Primetime* spends so much energy dressing itself up that the actual story gets buried underneath the filmmaking. What could have been a sharp, uncomfortable examination of television, celebrity, and the ethics of true crime instead becomes a frustratingly uneven film that mistakes stylistic excess for substance. Robert Pattinson gives a pretty good performance as Chris Hansen, bringing enough conviction to make the central figure compelling even when the screenplay does not. The supporting cast is strong as well. Skyler Gisondo makes an impression as the adult decoy pretending to be an underage boy, while Merritt Wever brings welcome dimension as the show’s producer. There are also genuinely interesting ideas scattered throughout the film, particularly in its examination of how media can commoditize real human suffering into entertainment. The problem is that *Primetime* rarely develops its ideas into a cohesive story. It often feels less like a narrative and more like a collection of scenes placed next to one another. The result makes it difficult for viewers to become invested in what is happening or, more importantly, in the characters involved. Its aesthetic ambitions are particularly exhausting. The fuzzy mid-2000s look is clearly deliberate, and there is nothing wrong with leaning into the visual language of the period. Here, though, the music, lighting, camera angles, and visual flourishes are pushed so aggressively that the movie starts announcing its artistry rather than letting it emerge naturally. There is a compelling story underneath all the smoke and mirrors, which makes the constant insistence on style feel less like enrichment and more like distraction. The heavier issue is how much the film dramatizes real events and real people. Using real names and identities while taking substantial creative liberties creates an uncomfortable disconnect, particularly in the portrayal of Hansen himself. The film's portrayal of real-life subjects can make some of its choices feel less like artistic interpretation and more like borderline defamation. Hansen himself has publicly criticized the film, which only makes the question of how responsibly it treats people difficult to ignore. You see how this looks, right? There are also moments where the dramatization crosses into genuinely uncomfortable territory. The film’s treatment of SA and mental health issues can feel glib and insensitive. For example, the portrayal of the true story of a man who unalived himself while caught in the *To Catch A Predator* investigations is difficult to digest. That was a real human being who faced a genuinely tragic ending, **not** merely a fictional plot device, and the lack of respect taken toward a serious subject matter invites questions that the movie does not seem particularly interested in answering. Additionally, the creative choice to make the main decoy exclusively male feels conspicuously constructed. The primarily male-on-male encounters feel unrealistic, existing solely to insert the male decoy into the story as a main character. That is unfortunate because beneath the excess is a worthwhile film trying to get out. *Primetime* has something meaningful to say about the ethics of true-crime entertainment, the machinery of television, and the uncomfortable relationship between public spectacle and private suffering. But its lack of nuance turns complicated questions into an overly tidy division between good guys and bad guys. The satire gets lost in the dramatization, and the film's strongest observations are repeatedly smothered by its need to make everything bigger, darker, and more cinematic. Ultimately, *Primetime* is a case of flash over substance. Pattinson and the supporting cast do solid work, and there are enough provocative ideas here to make the film worth discussing, but the execution repeatedly gets in its own way. When the real story is already compelling, inventing so much around it feels unnecessary—and, in some cases, ethically questionable.

It’s been said that we often become what we concentrate upon. That’s ironic, because frequently this results in the creation of that which we’re purposely trying to avoid. And, in this third feature outing from director Lance Oppenheim, that’s precisely what happens to its high-profile protagonist, investigative journalist Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson). In this fact-based satire, the film follows the ascendancy of the reporter on the tabloid TV series *Dateline NBC*, specifically through his work on the show’s *To Catch a Predator* segment (2004-2007) in which he covered stories designed to expose the exploits of pedophiles. Working in conjunction with the website Perverted-Justice, Hansen, his producer (Merritt Wever), and a pair of predator bait decoy actors (Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers) orchestrated sting operations aimed at capturing their unsuspecting prey in the act on camera. While it’s undeniable that the intentions with this mission were fundamentally noble, their on-air depictions increasingly took on a vibe of sensationalism, blurring the line between journalism and entertainment. And, as Hansen’s star rose, he relished the personal notoriety and ratings popularity that came with his efforts. However, as the film postulates, his increasingly aggressive reporting tactics and quest for professional glory suggest that he was becoming as much of a predator on the alleged perpetrators as they were on their would-be victims. It might even be said that the methods employed verged on a form of entrapment, an approach that carried significantly murky and curiously ironic consequences. Now, this is not to suggest that Hansen was becoming a sexual predator himself, but, in donning the cloak of self-appointed activist, his personal authenticity was called into question as he became the target of undercover surveillance for a supposed extramarital affair that was threatened to be exposed by *The National Enquirer*. If the foregoing combination of elements sounds like the makings of a cinematic tall tale, you might indeed be correct. Circumstances like those depicted in the film naturally raise questions about the picture’s factual accuracy (Hansen himself has publicly and vocally proclaimed that “Primetme” paints him in an unfairly erroneous light). Moreover, on this basis, this is a picture that won’t appeal to everyone and will likely inspire more than its share of heated debate. However, the purposeful over-the-top approach used here is designed for dramatic effect to reflect the aforementioned question about the blurred lines between journalism and entertainment and the loaded theme of predator chasing predator. And, in doing so, the narrative is not meant to be taken as literal truth as much as it is to be looked upon as a metaphor, a satirical psychological thriller using real-life events and characters as the basis for illustrating its particular viewpoints. This becomes especially apparent through this offering’s insightful script, which deftly fuses wry humor, incisive camp and tense drama to tell its story, quite a writing feat to pull off successfully. In addition, the picture’s superb performances (especially by Pattinson, Gisondo and Bridgers), inventive cinematography and editing, and outstanding original score enhance the story and its various components, combining in a singularly distinctive way suitable for a production with as many diverse elements as are present here. Although this release has a tendency to meander at times, it generally remains faithful to its intents in telling a story with messages and ramifications that go beyond the individual events that make it up – important considerations for all of us to keep in mind in our efforts to create that which we seek and to meticulously avoid that which we don’t.