Reporting from the Venice International Film Festival, Shane McKevitt investigates Lance Oppenheim's Primetime.
In the mid-2000s, the recurring Dateline NBC feature To Catch a Predator averaged over 7 million viewers, making it one of the highest-rated shows on network television. In each episode, a “watchdog” group would engage with child predators in online chatrooms, pretending to be minors, before luring them to a secure location. After being greeted by a decoy, the target was met by the voice of Hansen, who would step into view, urging them to “take a seat” in his distinct vocal timbre. Once reprimanded and informed they’d been caught on camera, the predator would be apprehended by local police. From the outset, the show raised eyebrows, with many labelling its moral high ground as disingenuous and hypocritical. The controversy came to a head in 2008, when Texas district attorney Bill Conradt died by suicide after being served a search warrant by police, who had been working with Hansen’s team.
Directed by Lance Oppenheim, known previously for his acclaimed documentary work, Primetime centres on Chris Hansen – played by Robert Pattinson – and his obsessive drive to turn To Catch a Predator into the number one show on the air. He and his producer, Andie Bender (Merritt Wever), are constantly upping the stakes, blurring the line between journalism and exploitation. Matthew Maher’s Xavier is tasked with conducting online espionage to uncover the target who would make the “best” television, while Del (Phoebe Bridgers) disguises her voice for nauseating phone calls with the would-be TV stars. A new addition to Hansen’s crew is Dan (Skyler Gisondo), an aspiring actor who signs up to be one of the show’s new decoys. Naively, he assumes this is just like any other role, perhaps even his big break; his first day on “set” promptly shatters this illusion.
The film excels in areas one might not expect when scanning the synopsis, particularly in its visual and stylistic execution. There’s some excellent, creative blocking and framing throughout. The camera peers behind corners, catches characters in mirror reflections, and gazes down labyrinthine hallways. Oppenheim and cinematographer David Bolen exhibit an extraordinary visual flair for a narrative taking place in seemingly bland locales like hotel rooms and suburban cul-de-sacs. The colour palette is dominated by cool blues and distinctly artificial lighting, the deliberate lack of organic hues making you feel like you’re watching a fuzzy, analogue television set.
Despite the grimy, sordid subject matter, it’s a very funny film. The humour comes in large part from our familiarity with the real Chris Hansen’s caricature-like ubiquity in popular culture. When Pattinson’s Hansen answers his cell phone, he does so with his signature introduction, even when on the phone with his wife. The character has an absurd air of self-importance that’s laughable, except he clearly isn’t in on the joke. Pattinson manages to strike a delicate balance between capturing these familiar mannerisms without stepping into the realm of parody. He takes a cue from other recent Lido-bound biopics like Priscilla (2023) and The Smashing Machine (2025), wherein Jacob Elordi and Dwayne Johnson toed a similar line in their portrayals of Elvis Presley and Mark Kerr, respectively. Gisondo’s Dan is an apt counterbalance to Pattinson, a much-needed emotional core for a film otherwise dominated by ego-driven narcissists. If anything, the narrative might have benefitted from more focus on Gisondo’s character, perhaps even framing the entire story from his perspective to give the audience even more to latch on to.
Primetime takes a big swing regarding Hansen’s background and underlying motivations that could easily have proved costly. Instead, it’s an inventive device which reminds the audience they are indeed watching a fictionalised narrative, not a documentary. That said, being based at least in part on true events, there is an unavoidable predictability to the film’s final act, with the first two-thirds being undoubtedly the most engaging. With a strong lead performance and inventive visuals, Primetime transforms tawdry network television into a skin-crawling psychological thriller.
Primetime screened at the Sala Grande at the Venice International Film Festival on 5th September 2026.
