Sensationalistic journalism is as old as the news itself; it only evolves with the times. The movie “Primetime” is as much an examination into the purveyors of the form as it is a time capsule of one extreme example from the early 2000s.
The focus of “Primetime” is the show “To Catch a Predator,” an offshoot of “Dateline NBC” that captured the public imagination at a weird point in history. The show was a hidden-camera program in which a potential perpetrator was lured to a location where they believed they were going to have a sexual encounter with a minor, but were instead confronted by the show’s oddly cool host Chris Hansen. After a brief, weird interview, the subject would be arrested and justice was served until the next person walked through the door and the whole process would play out again.
Hansen’s on-camera persona came with its own level of creepiness as he would question these “predators” in an emotionless voice that landed somewhere between condescending and threatening.
In the movie, Hansen is played by Robert Pattinson in a wild character study that portrays the reporter as moderately unhinged and relentless in his pursuit of both criminals and personal glory.
The movie, which is the feature debut of documentary director Lance Oppenhiem, has a clear point of view. Everything about “To Catch a Predator” is deeply unseemly and that the people behind the camera are almost as morally reprehensible as the criminals in front of it.
Hansen is empowered in his pursuit by his producer, Andie (Merritt Wever) who has occasional misgivings about the circus she is coordinating, but ultimately can’t resist the siren call of bigger ratings and a higher profile.
There are times when “Primetime” is so ridiculous that it plays as a farce, a modern-day version of “Network” in which the pursuit of fame and prestige knows no bounds.
If there is an innocent to be found in all of this mess, it is Dan (Skyler Gisondo), a baby-faced actor hoping for his big break who takes on the role of the decoy, the potential victim who meets the predators at the door and lures them into a false sense of security before Hansen steps in to lower the boom.
Dan is a walking, talking metaphor for the compromises people make on the path to fame.
“Primetime” is anything but subtle and is successful in its goal of making you feel icky for participating in any of this. Where it stumbles is when it tries to be both overt and cagey at the same time.
Pattinson is fantastic as Hansen, especially in nailing his weird interview style. But the movie has a hard time pinning him down. Is he a cynical egomaniac desperate for fame and relevance, or is he a crusading true believer with a savior complex? The movie wants to say “yes” to both, which doesn’t really land.
“Primetime” is a flawed movie that winds up achieving its ultimate goal of zeroing in on a moment in journalistic history and declaring, “We don’t know exactly what this was, but we do know that it was messed up.” That’s good enough for me.
“Primetime” is rated R for disturbing sexual material, graphic nudity, some violent content, and language.
