Lance Oppenheim’s feature debut, "Primetime," screens at the Venice Film Festival ahead of its September 25 theatrical release. The film revisits the era of Chris Hansen’s "To Catch a Predator," blending fact and fiction to create a "sleazy, rollicking, razor-wire drama" that is as much about the rise of reality TV as it is a spiritual part of it, according to a review from IGN.
The movie opens with television personality Chris Hansen, portrayed by Robert Pattinson, privately rehearsing sexually explicit chat logs to set up an ambush for a potential offender. This premise, drawn from the hit sting operation that ran from 2004 to 2007, quickly reveals the film's lurid flourishes. Oppenheim’s portrayal of Hansen is a heightened, cartoonishly sinister figure, described as a hunter cornering prey. As the show gains popularity, NBC executives demand more sensational content, pushing Hansen and his team to pursue potential perps more aggressively. This narrative arc mirrors the real-life "botched episode" from Murphy, Texas, which was the subject of an Esquire long-form piece that inspired "Primetime."
The film frames Hansen and those involved with the show as a type of seducer, employing visual cues and the actors' physicality. Merritt Wever plays producer Andie Bender, whose polite demeanor masks exploitative demands, while Matthew Maher portrays keyboard warrior Xavier Von Erk. The sting crew also includes Del, an adult decoy played by Phoebe Bridgers, and Dan Plum, a newcomer played by Skyler Gisondo, loosely based on Dan Schrack. Gisondo's character serves as the movie's "naïve heart and soul," eager for approval from Hansen, with whom he develops a "perverse father-son dynamic."
Robert Pattinson delivers a performance described as "borderline sociopath," embodying Hansen as an "animated, empty, Patrick Bateman-like vessel for celebrity allure." His portrayal captures a man envious of others' success and the era's trend of "war-as-entertainment." Pattinson imbues Hansen with a "petulant, paranoid" quality beneath a rehearsed, wholesome facade. While he nails Hansen's distinctive voice, the character is otherwise an "impish embodiment of Hollywood id at the turn of the century," reflecting a TV landscape defined by artifice and a ruthless pursuit of advancement.
"Primetime" utilizes a frenetic visual style, with rapid montages and an oversaturated color palette. The film's sensory recreation of mid-2000s video recordings adds an eerie quality, making it feel like a version of events never meant to be seen. Hansen's occasional segues into fictitious Indian folklore, intended to elevate himself, further contribute to the unsettling atmosphere. The dialogue is often on-the-nose, highlighting the disconnect between what Hansen says and what he truly means.
While the broader implications of "To Catch a Predator's" methods and legacy are subjects of ongoing discussion, "Primetime" focuses on the base desires of the show's creators and its audience. The film is characterized by a "radioactive texture" and features off-putting characters, including Bender's constant gum-chewing and a cameo by Creed Bratton as a Hansen admirer fascinated by violence. Pattinson's Hansen remains the central figure, driving the "voyeuristic camera" and high-octane thrills that stem not from action, but from the sheer exhilaration of observing how far Hansen and his associates will go to create entertainment, ultimately paving the way for today's "content-at-all-cost" landscape.