Primetime, the final screen before the credits officially roll, tells people that the story is based on true events, but that certain characters, events, and depictions have been heavily dramatized for the purposes of the movie. That might be a serious understatement.

It’s Chris Hansen, and it is To Catch a Predator, and there are certain real-life events, including the explosive conclusion to both the show and the movie, that actually did happen. There’s plenty that didn’t, though, and the fact that Hansen wasn’t involved with the production and actually called it “identity theft” suggests that it’s not exactly true to life.

So, it ultimately isn’t the best biopic in terms of accuracy. Anyone going into this trying to discover what Hansen was really like or what working on one of the most infamous shows in television history was really like is likely to come away either disappointed or with a probably wrong picture.

That, in this case, isn’t necessarily to the film’s detriment. Primetime works in spite of the likely inaccuracies, and that’s because it serves as an excellent cautionary tale about the cost of ambition and the dark side of things like this. Oh, and Robert Pattinson, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers are outstanding.

Primetime Review

Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime feels more interested in the concept of Chris Hansen and To Catch a Predator than in the actual person and show. That makes this less of a biopic and more of a fascinating thriller, which is to the film’s benefit. There’s an alternate universe where Hansen was intimately involved with Primetime, and his humility (a trait the film was probably accurate to omit from Robert Pattinson’s characterization) leads him to provide a real depiction for Primetime.

It’s unlikely that would make for a better movie than the one we got. It absolutely sensationalizes things in such a strong, satirical way as to clearly call out the sensationalization of shows like To Catch a Predator. The subject of predator-hunting shows and Hansen himself is very nuanced. Primetime is as subtle as a sledgehammer for the most part, but it nails the idea that people can do good things for selfish purposes.

The movie never attempts to depict the show or what it accomplished as bad, just that there can be ulterior motives that aren’t as pure as they might seem. It’s a perfect lesson in two things being true at once. I won’t pretend to know what Hansen’s thought process was, but I do know that there is an inherent problem in making a television show out of something like that.

It’s the problem with modern media in all formats today. Sensationalism sells much better in the hot-take era, and while this was almost two decades ago, there was some of that even then. A TV show has to get good ratings, or it will be cancelled, no matter how morally impactful it might be. It has to be better than Lost to make money, which is the bottom line. That creates a fascinating and complicated dichotomy Primetime is more than happy to wade right into.

Technical Excellence

Lance Oppenheim’s filmmaking is fantastic. The camerawork and editing are nearly unrivaled this year. It’s an anxiety-inducing ride that never lets anyone feel comfortable, with brilliant close-ups, grainy saturation, and perfect color grading all painting a really garish picture. It’s excellent work from a relatively inexperienced director.

As mentioned in the intro, Robert Pattinson, Phoebe Bridgers, and Skyler Gisondo are really great. Pattinson is always great, and he actually does his best work when he’s not imitating Hansen. The voice is uncanny, and he does a very good imitation, but the movie is at its best when he’s just portraying a man wracked by ambition and an unyielding need to do what he does.

Gisondo has perhaps never been better. There are some comedic moments that provide laughs, but this role is decidedly not the comedy role for which he’s become known. I hesitate to say it’s a breakout role since he’s been in a lot of big movies and has made a name for himself already, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this really opened new doors for him.

Bridgers is much better than expected for a singer/songwriter with very little acting experience. Unfortunately, she just doesn’t get much to do. Hopefully, this leads to bigger opportunities with more screen time, because some of the movie is ironically lacking Bridgers’ presence.

The main characters all represent ambition to a degree. Hansen represents unchecked ambition. He is willing to let it all blow up in search of the white whale, like he’s Ahab from Moby Dick. It practically does blow up in the infamous and real conclusion to the show when an assistant district attorney killed himself on the show. Hansen mourns that, but more so because it means the whale has essentially escaped and there’s nothing left.

Producer Andie Bender, capably portrayed by Merritt Weaver, is a step down from Hansen. She is tempted to get out and start producing more wholesome content like What Would You Do? with John Quinones. She almost accepts the offer, but the chance to take down a government official with her show is simply too tantalizing.

Gisondo’s Dan Plumb, an aspiring actor manipulated by Hansen, seems to be wavering throughout the entire movie and ultimately gets the only happy ending in the entire show, but his desire to become an actor consumes him to the point of doing all of this in the first place. He makes it out, but only just before that ambition devours him like everyone else.

Sure, it’s not the most accurate portrayal of a real person, and it doesn’t bring the most nuance to a very nuanced conversation. But ultimately, it’s a great movie that scratches an itch that movies have arguably been chasing since Jake Gyllenhaal’s Nightcrawler. Maybe Pattinson will get the Oscar Gyllenhaal never did.

Score: 4/5