‘Primetime’: A Compelling Examination of the Line Between Reality and TV
At a time when America was at war, the Internet was becoming more prevalent, and reality television was surging in popularity, a program hit the airwaves that would become a cultural phenomenon. Beginning as a series of segments on the news program Dateline NBC, the show To Catch a Predator detailed sting operations that caught men who arrived at a house with the intention of having sex with a minor. These predators would be lured into the house by a decoy actor, often ending up in the kitchen area, where hidden cameras were set up. The predator would then be left alone in the room briefly before being surprised by Chris Hansen, a journalist and the show’s host. Hansen would ask these men to “have a seat” and interview them, before allowing them to leave. However, when these men step out of the house, they are immediately detained and arrested by law enforcement.
This simple format became a huge hit, and the show lasted for three years before being cancelled. While Hansen himself stated that the show had “run its course”, a controversy involving the suicide of Texas district attorney Bill Conradt likely sealed the fate of the show. Not to mention that the show’s reception was divisive, with some questioning its ethics and legality, and others celebrating its specific brand of justice. This complicated legacy is at the center of Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime, which gives a dramatized account of To Catch a Predator’s production amidst its heyday. On the surface, one might assume that the film is an exposé on Chris Hansen and is meant to paint him as the villain. However, the film has a more subjective point of view, and examines how the show blurred the lines between entertainment and reality. The result is a fascinating encapsulation of the show as a whole, and allows the viewer to engage with its complicated legacy head-on.
Set in 2006, we follow Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson) during the peak of To Catch a Predator’s success. When NBC decides to move the program to a primetime slot, Hansen and the show’s producer, Andie Bender (Merritt Wever) snap into action to deliver a quality program and prove their worth to the network. Meanwhile, a young actor named Dan Plumb (Skyler Gisondo) unwittingly auditions for the show and becomes one of its decoy actors. These two plotlines intertwine, as Hansen and his team try to create good television and Dan learns about the reality of the situation he has found himself in.
The film seeks to tackle the exploitative aspects of To Catch a Predator, and does so in a way that blends a more stylistic approach with human drama. I feel that Lance Oppenheim’s experience as a documentary filmmaker makes him well-suited to tell this story, as he is creative and has a distinct lens, but also knows how to capture humanity on film. Granted, this film is a dramatization, so it does feel a bit heightened at times, but the characters feel authentic, and give the film a more grounded center. So much of the film revolves around the characters rationalizing their involvement in Predator, whether that is Chris Hansen trying to maintain his integrity while also pushing to make the show entertaining, Dan processing his role as a decoy, or Andie considering jumping ship to produce the more feel-good program What Would You Do? The film isn’t rushing to condemn anyone or even the show itself, but it definitely poses questions on the ethics of mixing reality and television.
The film’s version of Chris Hansen is complicated, as he is warring between his desire to fight evil and to make his show a ratings success. It is a much more nuanced take on him than the marketing would suggest, as the film doesn’t write him off as good or bad, but shows that he likely had the best of intentions doing the show but let the pressure get to his head and cloud his judgment. There is a scene in the film where Robert Pattinson’s Hansen states that the show serves a greater purpose than just entertainment, claiming the show’s true role is to help “cleanse the world of an ancient evil”. This leads me to believe that the real Hansen probably feels a similar way, and that he is so focused trying to serve justice that he doesn’t see how some of the things that he and the show does can be viewed as problematic. It doesn’t help that he wants to be successful and to prove to NBC that his show is important, so he must reconcile his desire to do good with creating something that will draw in viewers. These two wants are at war with each other throughout the movie, feeding into each other until the film reaches its powerful conclusion.
If anything, I feel that the film is a touch sympathetic towards Hansen, as it recognizes that he likely had the best of intentions, but they were ultimately twisted by the very nature of the show itself. It suggests that his crusade has become somewhat performative, as he rehearses the chat transcripts he reads to the predators before filming and has a slightly heightened persona he adopts when he is on camera. The film presents him as a man wanting to do his part to make the world a better place, but one who gets lost somewhere along the way. Whether the show was ultimately helpful or harmful is left up to the viewer, but it is hard not to feel a little bad for Hansen by the film’s end, even if he makes some bad decisions throughout the film.
It is the nuanced way the film views Chris Hansen that makes Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of him all the more impressive, as he is able to bring his complexities to live with precision. Pattinson has become one of our most daring actors, which he backs up with sheer talent and commitment. When I first heard he would be playing Chris Hansen, I was a little thrown off but intrigued and was curious to see what he would do in the role. As it turns out, he is perfectly cast here as he captures a lot of who Hansen is while also bringing his own flair to the role. He isn’t afraid to live in the murkiness surrounding the character, which makes him even more fascinating to watch. He practically disappears into the role, as I frequently forgot I was watching Pattinson playing a role throughout the film. This is career best work from him, and in a perfect world, he would be taking home an Oscar come March.
I was also highly impressed by both Merritt Wever and Skyler Gisondo’s performances, as both are also doing some of their finest work here. Wever is an actor I’ve been a fan of for a long time now, and I was ecstatic to see her show up in this. She has an edge to her in this film that we don’t always get to see in her work, and she is absolutely compelling. You can feel the pressure her character Andie is under to make the show a success, but Wever uses that to drive the character forward. I also liked the choice to have her constantly chewing nicotine gum, as it is a small choice that adds so much to the character. Wever may not be the main focus of the film, but she absolutely nails every scene she is in and is integral to the film as a whole.
As for Gisondo, this is easily his best work to date. For years now, he has been one of those reliable screen presences that I am always glad to see, and he continues to do so with this performance. Gisondo’s natural charm is a big boost to his character, Dan, a young aspiring actor who gets cast as a decoy on To Catch a Predator. The character has a wide-eyed innocence that Gisondo plays so well, and seeing how this changes over the course of the film is astounding. He is also given the unenviable task of having to pretend to be a teenager at times, but he is able to do this quite well. His boyishness coupled with him adopting a higher pitched voice makes him quite believable in these scenes, and gives way to an interesting layer for the character. Gisondo is excellent every step of the way, and his character’s arc is one of the most compelling aspects of the entire film. This definitely feels like a step up for him as an actor, and it is certainly one of my favorite performances I’ve seen all year.
Primetime is one of those films that I had a feeling I would love from the moment I saw the first trailer. It falls into a category of films that comment on our relationship to media and entertainment that I simply can’t resist, and it is impeccably made to boot. The direction, editing, writing, score, and photography is incredible, and the performances are top-notch. There is a dark, somewhat nasty edge to it, but it is more subjective than one would expect. If you are expecting a hard-hitting exposé on Chris Hansen or To Catch a Predator, you will likely be disappointed, but if you want something that makes you reconsider the show and its ethics, as well as the nature of reality TV and its lasting impact, this is definitely a must-see.
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