When good deeds are done for personal gains, such deeds are sullied. When the pursuit of criminals is manipulated for “gotcha” tabloid moments, the pursuer becomes the guilty and a just and moral act is stained with self-serving ugliness. Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime is a dark look at the ugliness found in the execution of a tv show that exploited its premise to achieve big ratings and widespread fandom.
NBC’s To Catch a Predator ran for three years, from November of 2004 through late December of 2007. Host Chris Hansen helped conceive the show, where hidden cameras captured him and a decoy (posing as someone underage) would entrap adult men who were there to sexually engage with a minor. Hansen would swagger into the room with a smarmy demeanor, asking the suspect, “Why don’t you take a seat?” After they sit, he would read through the online correspondence with someone they believed to be an underage boy or girl. Hansen’s 6 ‘2 frame was to be intimidating to the usually cowering suspects and his “interrogation” of the men was pure show business.
Millions tuned in and praised the program for what it was doing; stopping online predators from making their desires a reality.
After a time, the show found its detractors as the production became increasingly reckless. More risks were taken and discussions regarding the dangerous consequences on the men’s families were ignored. NBC wanted ratings. Chris Hansen wanted fame. End of any moral deliberation.
As Hansen, Robert Pattinson takes the correct path. The performance stays grounded and the actor disappears into the character, achieving an uncanny perfection when nailing the journalist’s mannerisms and calculated speech patterns with precision. Complimenting the film’s design, this is not Robert Pattinson’s “Jaked LaMotta” moment. He is playing with the public perception of the man. Chris Hansen did not participate in the project, so the performance is (in a bit of irony) constructed from tabloid myth. This is not to say the actor is not excellent (he is) or that Primetime makes up facts (it dramatizes). Pattinson gets to Hansen’s psyche, finding the drama and eventual buffoonery in a man who alienates family and erases morality in the quest for celebrity, not respect. The work is deserving of mention come awards season, as Pattinson does some of his best work portraying a selfish soul who is ultimately a hypocrite. Hansen is married with two children. He cheats on his wife (with a younger woman) and the only time he interacts with his young sons is when he wakes them out of a dead sleep to boast that their daddy is on tv. There isn’t a false step to the performance, even when Pattinson must go off the deep end, emotionally. Playing a guy who is always acting can be a risky assignment, but the actor lands hard.
Hansen’s co-conspirators are his producer, Andie Bender (Merritt Wever at her best inhabiting a woman who has made peace with her desire for schlock television), the show’s decoy, Del (Phoebe Bridgers), and the tech nerd who does the online chatting/entrapment, Xavier (Matthew Maher). Xavier is the one who stumbles onto a potential suspect that could lead them to being part of television history.
At this point, doing the right thing is no longer the important ingredient. Beating ABC’s Lost (airing at the same time as their show) is the main concern. Glory over a need for justice.
A youthful looking actor named Dan Plum (a nomination worthy Skyler Gisondo) is brought on as their new decoy. Gisondo is natural in his portrayal of the young man with wide-eyed acting dreams. Dan takes the job to get his Screen Actor’s Guild card, as one must have an on-screen speaking role to be considered. Once Hansen takes to the young man under his tutelage (naming him, “Decoy Dan”), the reality of what the show has become is a shock to the inexperienced actor, causing him to question the validity of it all.
Dan’s moral awakening carries through to the film’s audience. The men who come to the house are vile. They are there to do sickening things to a minor, but the way the show runners manipulate the narrative turns Dan’s stomach.
Cinematographer David Bolen uses different lenses and lighting manipulations to give a proper sense of the time and to distort when Hansen goes off the rails. There is a darkened aura for almost every scene and Hansen is never shown in crisp light. As his mood changes and life begins to spiral out of his control, Bolen’s camera makes him look more sickly and flushed. There are closeups designed to give the audience pause regarding their feelings towards the host. Ajon Singh’s well-designed screenplay asks if Chris Hansen, a formerly respected investigative reporter, has become a sensationalistic predator. Perhaps it isn’t asking at all, but making a statement.
Singh’s screenplay will probably be attacked from all sides. Hansen has already refused to discuss the film and claims he will not see the final product. There may be those who want a straightforward biopic of the show. Dedicated fans may take issue with the film’s refusal to portray as a heroic crusader. Others may not care for the film’s occasional darkly comedic beats, while Robert Pattinson’s performance is sure to divide many viewers.
What Ajon Singh and director Lance Oppenheim have created is a studied exposé about this country’s unhealthy fascination with such a sordid and grotesquely irresponsible show. That To Catch a Predator became must-watch viewing is concerning. The methods used by Hansen and his team could be seen as criminal. The filmmakers show no fear in presenting these realities with an artful (yet pointed) edge and refuse to say anything positive about its existence.
Primetime is not a behind the scenes praise-fest on how To Catch a Predator became a phenomenon. The picture is about a dangerously insecure man whose misguided drive for success causes his already dubious hit show to burn to the ground. Hansen wanted fame and received just that. While a celebrity’s private life is their business alone, the exposing of his adultery shone a light on his duplicitous personality. Once the show caused a suspect to commit suicide (nearly on air), Hansen and his creation were done.
After everything that has come to light, to call Chris Hansen a journalist is to do a disservice to the profession. Perhaps, in the show’s beginnings, he believed in what they were doing. Let us hope this is true.
Lance Oppenheim has made an important film. From the questions it raises to its societal mirror that shows the real America, Primetime is an important and disturbingly entertaining film.
Primetime
Screenplay by Ajong Singh
Directed by Lance Oppenheim
Starring Robert Pattinson, Merrit Weaver, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Matthew Maher, Bokeem Woodbine, Anna Faris, Jonathan Lipnicki, Tony Revolori, Alex Winter
R, 110 Minutes, A24
