I am a child of the Internet.
I grew up with dial-up, but I did play online games. I was also harassed by strangers online when I was underage. It makes complete sense that I would resonate with Chris Hansen. I was too young when To Catch a Predator aired, but I was around for its YouTube revival, with people uploading clips and Hansen creating his own channel. I would watch clips and reference them with friends. As the Internet moved on, so did I. Now, Chris is back in the zeitgeist with Lance Oppenheim’s new film Primetime.
Oppenheim’s film arrives at a time when we are questioning famous people of the past, including Chris. Did Chris actually help catch predators, or was it just entertainment? Primetime doesn’t fully answer this question, but it does show us more of the darker side of the production. We often forget how media is crafted behind the scenes; it’s more about ratings, money, and clicks than anything else.
The plot follows Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson) as he vies to make his hit show go “primetime”. Once it does, his team is forced to put out all the stops to find bigger and bigger catches. The pressure begins to mount on Hansen between his work and personal life. We also follow a young actor who joins the team as a decoy. Everything rides on one big catch.
The performances here are incredible. Pattinson completely disappears in the role. He nails the voice and mannerisms of Hansen. If he isn’t nominated for an Oscar this year for one of his many roles, I would be very surprised. Skyler Gisondo plays young actor Dan Plumb. He plays his character so well and even does a great impression of Hansen in one scene. The other cast members I have to shout out are Phoebe Bridgers, Merritt Wever, and Matthew Maher.
The directing of this movie is crazy to me. Oppenheim makes it feel like you’re watching a documentary, but he also includes sequences that are almost dreamlike. I was surprised by his direction, given that this is his first non-documentary feature. He tells this story masterfully, and you can tell he really cares about his craft. There’s also a needle drop in the first 10 minutes that I will think about for a while.
Should you see Primetime? It really depends. There is strong language and a little nudity. It is a very interesting look at Chris Hansen and the whole To Catch a Predator series. I still don’t know how to feel about the movie. It’s a very well-done film, but it does leave you kind of sad. Will predators ever be brought to justice? As Catholics, we know God is the ultimate judge. This movie and current events don’t give much hope for this lifetime.
I saw Primetime this week and was impressed with the acting and directing. I left with a similar sadness that the people “caught” by this show weren’t treated with human dignity or given the spiritual and likely mental assistance they needed; there was no room for repentance or restoration. Instead they were humiliated and exploited.