You see how this looks, right? What would've happened if this wasn't the movie of the year?
“Primetime,” which hit theaters Sept. 25, arrived with no shortage of hype. The directorial debut of Oscar-nominee Lance Oppenheim, who’s known for documentaries like “Spermworld,” was stacked up to be an excellent film. “Primetime” tells the story of Chris Hansen, the well-known child predator hunter and host of hidden camera show “To Catch A Predator.” He’s portrayed by the booked-and-busy Robert Pattinson, who’s acted in “The Odyssey” and “The Drama” this year alone.
“To Catch A Predator,” a reality television series, follows Hansen and his team as they lure child predators online with fake names, stories and faces. They meet the predators in person, using a decoy actor to give them a false sense of security. Hansen then walks out and announces the “predator's” face is being broadcast on Dateline NBC. When they leave, they're arrested by waiting police.
“Primetime” stands out as one of the best movies released so far this year. It’s gritty, iconic and beautifully shot. It touches on the many surprises of “To Catch a Predator” and conveys how big of a toll the show took on the crew’s lives.
The show is portrayed as just another job for the actors, a chance to make money for the producers and a chance for Hansen to sit on the throne of television — and maybe fix his failing life.
“Primetime” depicts Hansen as power-hungry, desperate for attention and spiraling downward. He's the predators’ predator.
Pattinson slips into this role like an old sweater. He eerily nails Hansen’s voice and mannerisms.
I don’t know how to praise Pattinson more. No one else could have sold this role to me in the way he did. I never had to question him or suspend my disbelief. It felt like I had watched Hansen reenact the last few breaths of television history in the final episode of “To Catch a Predator.”
The film is shot with vibrant, dynamic colors and rich texture on each shot. Sometimes, it's grainy; sometimes, it's rainy; sometimes, it's incredibly bright; sometimes, it's incredibly hazy. It all adds to the emotions driving Hansen, written on the face of Pattinson and revealed through the colors and textures of each scene.
“Primetime” follows three characters: Hansen, played by Pattinson; Dan Plum, one of the actor decoys that lures the predators, played by Skyler Gisondo; and Andie Bender, the show’s producer, played by Merritt Wever. It’s also the acting debut of musician Phoebe Bridgers, who plays a decoy named Del. Each actor delivers a layered performance, and each character wrestles with how the show impacts them while remaining invested in its success.
This contradiction is one of the film's most interesting ideas. These characters understand the darkness of the material they’re producing, yet ambition keeps pulling them toward it. They can be selfish, opportunistic and morally conflicted, and that doesn’t make them hard to understand.
I genuinely think this is one of the best movies released this year, and it’s a good contender for my favorite movies of all time. I've been excited about the film since production photos of Pattinson and Bridgers circulated online last year.
I found myself more excited as the movie went on, itching to see how far Oppenheim’s version of Hansen would go.
The film follows “To Catch A Predator,” from its spot in primetime television to its eventual unravelling — when the pursuit of relevance begins to spin out of control.
“Primetime,” especially Pattinson’s performance, feels built for awards season attention.
My only bone to pick is central to what makes it entertaining: It heavily dramatizes the real events that inspired it.
Of course, a narrative film needs an engaging peak, especially after spending nearly two hours escalating its central conflict. But the way the film exaggerates how certain events took place left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. The events that occurred weren’t as intense as they were portrayed, particularly at the end of the film.
Still, that reservation did little to diminish my absorption in the film. By the time the theater lights came on and Phoebe Bridgers’ “On Video,” written for the film, began playing, I barely realized how much time had passed.
“Primetime” is disturbing, stylish and difficult to look away from. Catching it in theaters is worth your time.
Contact Mackenzie Haas at mhaas@alligator.org.
Mackenzie Haas is a Media Production, Management, and Technology junior at UF and the Fall 2026 General Assignment reporter. This is her second semester on The Avenue. Mackenzie can be found at the movies, scrapbooking, thrifting, or sending out too many emails.
