The independent film company A24 has been on a crazy run with its films this year, from Backrooms, The Invite, and The Drama to its newest release, Primetime. Even before the film’s release, audiences were already quoting the movie and making memes. The most popular one, “You see how this looks, right?” has gone viral on X (formerly known as Twitter) and TikTok. Besides that, people have also been wondering how this film would go because it’s starring none other than Robert Pattinson. He has been in quite a few movies this year, including The Drama, The Odyssey, and the upcoming movie Dune: Part Three. However, Primetime further expresses Pattinson’s acting capabilities.
The story revolves around the rise and fall of the production of the hit 2000s show To Catch a Predator, with Pattinson starring as the host, Chris Hansen. For those who are unaware, this was a reality television show where Hansen and his team would track down predators in the area they were filming in and trick them into believing that they were going to meet with children or young adults. The film takes you from when the show starts to become a popular segment to its peak, and then to how all of that falls through. However, this movie isn’t your typical based-on-a-true-story film. While it does have the elements of your average 2000s segment of shows and loosely ties into the real-life events surrounding the reality show, the structure of the movie is more of a fictional story than a factual biography. As mentioned before, the film stars Robert Pattinson and features a supporting cast that includes Skylar Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers, Merritt Wever, Sean Bridgers, and Anna Faris.
There are positives about this film that audiences can definitely agree on, one being Pattinson’s performance, which was certainly memorable. He really didn’t just play Hansen; he kind of became him through his performance. He studied his movements, his voice, and some of his mannerisms. Pattinson is known for not just playing the characters, but really transforming himself into them, which, at first glance, makes you question whether it’s him. It felt creepy but also really intriguing. Another positive I want to highlight is the cinematography. The producers didn’t use your typical film camera; they used a variety of elements, like a 2000s VHS camcorder for some moments or even a classic home security camera, which I thought was very intriguing. The film was trying to make you feel as though you’re in the 2000s and the art direction makes it especially impeccable. Lastly, I really enjoyed the editing and coloring throughout the film. From the beginning to the end, the editing and colors take you through this magical wonderland. Obviously, since it’s set in the 2000s, it’s meant to make you feel that way, but in today’s movies, where they can be dull, it felt nice to see the movie’s editing and coloring stand out more. With these positives, you may be thinking, “Well, I’m guessing the negatives don’t weigh more, right?” Unfortunately, there are negatives in this film that hold it back and weigh more heavily.
My first callout is the storyline. More so, how the story weaves throughout the film. At first, you realize that this film is about Hansen and his determination to make his show one of the most popular shows — hence the title, Primetime. However, around the middle of the film, you start to get lost in the different subplots featured in the movie. There was even a time, around the second act, that had me thinking: “How does this fully affect the main conflict?” It just made me confused about why it would be added if that certain subplot didn’t have much effect on the main plot. Another critique I have is that this film relied more on style than on the story. While I did praise the editing and colors, it felt as though the movie really championed the aesthetic over expanding on the story. It also kind of felt that way when looking at the different trailers and promotional videos; the 2000s aesthetic really took over, leaving the story behind. Lastly, this negative might be a me-thing again, but I kind of felt the ending was weak. For those who have already seen the film, you might disagree with me on this, but personally, I just think the build-up to the climactic event had me on the edge of my seat, and then the aftermath just felt “meh” to me. I think there were a few questions they could have answered in the ending, especially for those who were unaware of the real-life events behind the production.
Overall, this film does an amazing job of capturing your attention, and Pattinson does shine, but it just wasn’t all I expected. At the same time, I could see this being nominated for Best Editing categories throughout the awards season, but that’s probably about it. For me, this movie gets 3.5 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd.