During the reality TV boom of the aughts, many households likely heard the timbre of one man’s voice announcing his presence as he entered a room. “I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC,” he would say, as he invited an unsuspecting child predator to take a seat at a kitchen counter. Shocked and surprised, the alleged criminals would immediately start computing an excuse as to why they were at the house.
The show, “To Catch a Predator,” gripped audiences for three seasons. The new film “Primetime,” directed by Lance Oppenheim, chronicles the show’s ascension into the titular primetime slot. Set in 2006, the movie opens with Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson) filming the hidden camera show, just as it’s about to be escalated into a much more coveted television spot.
Hansen and his producer Andie (the terrific, as always, Merritt Wever) are called into executive Jeff Zucker’s office (Zucker portrays himself in the film) and told their NBC show is going to move to a primetime slot opposite new episodes of ABC’s “Lost.”
From there, the ratings race is on.
“To Catch a Predator” seemed fine as a relic of a country’s addiction to reality TV; it would be shocking to hear anyone who has discussed the show since it went off the air in 2007. But, between David Osit’s 2025 documentary “Predators” and now, “Primetime,” Hansen and his show have been put under the microscope. Did noble intentions of getting child predators off the street mean “To Catch a Predator” was an ethical endeavor? That’s up for the viewer to decide, but “Primetime” rarely focuses itself enough to take a stance.
Oppenheim’s film dances around the show’s impact, but the driving force of the movie is Hansen’s ambitions and how they take over his life. His wife (played by Anna Faris in a small, but against typecast role) is fed up with him never being home, and his two sons continue to grow up with a dad who is constantly traveling in the pursuit of ratings and success. During an out-of-town shoot, Hansen tells the new decoy, Dan (Skylar Gisondo), about traveling to India for a story on child slave labor. Instead of elaborating on a seemingly important story, all Hansen tells Dan is that the story won an Emmy.
Though “To Catch a Predator” courted controversy during its short but popular run, there’s no doubt Hansen was passionate about catching those who seek to harm minors. To enhance the drama of it all, “Primetime” is only interested in portraying Hansen as driven by ratings and getting the ‘white whale’ of predators. That’s likely very true as it is still show business, but the character’s construction is too thinly drawn for such a thorny subject.
Pattinson is having one of the best years of his career, from the surprise success of “The Drama” to the overwhelming success of “The Odyssey” (not to mention the third “Dune” film still to come). “Primetime” is likely to be the centerpiece performance of his year and garner him year-end accolades (there’s some buzz surrounding a supporting bid for his heavily-meme’d work in “The Odyssey”). He brings a required intensity to his characterization of Hansen, but sometimes the performance tends to slide into brooding caricature.
There are many menacing shots of Pattinson standing or sitting by a window as rain pours down outside. There’s one shot from behind as Pattinson’s Hansen stares out the window into a storm, as if he was on the wrong set and Commissioner Gordon was going to appear to recruit Gotham City’s favorite freelance crime fighter. It’s moments like these when “Primetime” elicits more groans than suspense.
Wever and Gisondo give standout supporting performances to even out the show-your-work performance Pattinson gives. Wever is dogged and determined as Hansen’s producer, playing her like a gum-chomping tether to Holly Hunter’s “Broadcast News” character. Gisondo, who has been growing as a reliable supporting player, brings a naivete as the new decoy (the original decoy is played by singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, in her feature film debut) that can be heartbreaking in fleeting moments. He truly makes a mark.
There’s no arguing that thwarting child sexual predators is a good thing, but there was a much more interesting movie to be made on whether or not the methods of “To Catch a Predator” were ethically sound. “Primetime” skates along the surface and, more often than not, is an overstylized, unfocused mess.
“Primetime” is playing in theaters now.
Matthew Passantino is a freelance film critic and a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.
