About the film (courtesy of A24 Films):
In 2006, To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen sets out to make television history.
Let’s start right here. Primetime delivers a solid piece of entertainment, but it ultimately lacks several key elements that could have elevated it into something truly great. Robert Pattinson turns in another magnetic performance, vividly exhibiting a willingness to go all-in to capture every ounce of raw, unhinged ambition behind his character’s rise as a television sensation for NBC.
It is almost impossible to watch Pattinson’s kinetic energy here without being reminded of the pivotal roles where he actively dismantled his old heartthrob image from the Twilight franchise. In particular, Good Time (2017), the Safdie brothers’ gritty crime thriller, shares striking visual and tonal DNA with the frantic pacing and claustrophobic tension on display in Primetime. Pattinson thrives inside that kind of manic frenzy, commanding the frame whenever the spotlight swings his way.
The supporting cast provides a few functional subplots, but the narrative rarely lets them breathe. From the opening moments, Primetime remains laser-focused on its lead anchor, treating everyone else in the newsroom as orbiting satellites in his private ecosystem.
That intense focus exposes the narrative’s biggest flaw: the overall story feels notably weaker and shallower than it should have been. The real-world epidemic of exploitation at the center of the broadcast still plagues society today, arguably thriving even more in the online age. Whether that persistence stems from sensationalized 24-hour media coverage or a deeper societal decay, the underlying issue carries immense gravity that the Primetime only grazes on a surface level.
Beyond the broader social critique, Primetime misses significant opportunities to fully flesh out its protagonist. The creative team seems content to let viewers piece together his psychology on the fly. Audiences quickly gather that he is a ruthless workaholic, an exacting perfectionist, and emotionally distant to his colleagues, but the underlying engine driving that obsession never quite comes into focus. Instead of coloring in the personal motivations or vulnerabilities behind his frantic drive, director Lance Oppenheim and writer Ajon Singh take an abrupt approach that leaves audiences wishing the script dug deeper into what made the man tick.
The central tragedy of Primetime centers on Hansen reaching the absolute pinnacle of his career, only to see early warning signs that everything is about to slip from his desperate grasp. Amid the lurid confrontations captured on camera, the man behind the desk was clearly drowning in chaos off the air, yet that contrast never gets the complete dramatic payoff it deserves.
In the final assessment, Primetime squeaks by as an engaging, well-acted drama anchored by a committed star turn, even if the surrounding framework does not match its lead actor’s reach. Due to the grim, uncomfortable subject matter and its deliberate tonal restraint, it will not be for everyone, but fans of intense character-driven media exposes will still find plenty to appreciate. But if anyone is curious, Jake Gyllenhaal does a much better job in chasing stories as a manic media hound in Nightcrawler (2014). You might want to put that on your list if you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing it.
Primetime opens in theaters nationally starting Friday, September 25th.
