‘Primetime’ Review: Robert Pattinson Transforms America’s Favorite Vigilante

‘Primetime‘ immerses viewers in a Florida living room from 2006, where a hidden camera crew awaits a man believing he is meeting a teenager. This setup reveals much about the film’s world, characterized by stings, hidden cameras, and America’s fascination with capturing wrongdoers on film. Robert Pattinson portrays Chris Hansen, the real-life host of Dateline NBC who turned ‘To Catch a Predator’ into a cultural sensation. The film presents his ascent not merely as a biography but as a gradual unraveling.

Director Lance Oppenheim, making his narrative feature debut after a series of documentaries, employs a fragmented, intense visual style that echoes the grainy unease of early 2000s cable television. Rather than allowing viewers to observe from a distance, the film places them in the room with producers, decoys, and cameras, intensifying the moral discomfort scene by scene. Merritt Wever plays the network producer who constantly recalibrates the limits of the show for ratings, while Skyler Gisondo portrays a decoy pursuing his union card, oblivious to the personal cost of his role.

What stands out is the film’s refusal to neatly categorize Hansen as either a hero or a villain. Pattinson depicts him as a man who knows precisely which words make a predator sound justified, ultimately losing sight of the line between protecting children and preserving his own fame. His performance relies on subtlety, where a mere raised eyebrow conveys more than extensive dialogue, sustaining the film through moments where the plot feels thinner than the surrounding atmosphere.

The latter half of the film saw my enthusiasm wane slightly. The first hour crackles with tension and dark humor, showcasing an institution crafting its worst impulses in real-time. However, once the show’s fame becomes the focal point, the film begins to revisit themes it has already explored instead of delving deeper. A late exploration into Hansen’s personal history attempts to shed light on the psychological motivations behind his crusade, but it feels more like a stylistic choice than genuine insight, leaving the film uncertain about whether it aims to critique its subject or simply admire him.

Anna Faris appears in a few scenes as Hansen’s wife, hinting at an entirely different narrative about the toll on those surrounding a man in pursuit of fame, and I wished the film had given her more depth. Phoebe Bridgers, in a rare acting role as one of the show’s versatile decoys, brings a subtle discomfort to her scenes that the film could have benefitted from elsewhere. These moments in ‘Primetime’ suggest a deeper, more poignant story lurking beneath its satire, illustrating how easily a public service can devolve into spectacle without anyone acknowledging the shift.

Despite these critiques, the film lingers in your mind, primarily due to Pattinson’s refusal to absolve Hansen, even when the script falters. His ability to balance charisma with emptiness is the main draw of ‘Primetime’, and it’s a performance I anticipate discussing long after this awards season. The satire is sharp enough to provoke thought without veering into exaggerated outrage, a balance that is more challenging to achieve than the film suggests.

‘Primetime’ is a stylish, unsettling work that occasionally falters in its second half but maintains its boldness, anchored by a lead performance that stands out as one of the year’s best. I rate it 9 out of 10, deducting a point for a third act that sacrifices psychological clarity for genre embellishments, yet it remains one of the most captivating films A24 has released this year.

Have you seen ‘Primetime’ yet, and does Pattinson’s performance resonate with you as it did with me? Share your thoughts in the comments.