Tune in tonight to see Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen and Skyler Gisando as the adult posing as a teen.
I think a majority of you know the rules of NBC’s once successful true crime reality series “To Catch a Predator.” For online predators, there would be someone from Perverted Justice (PJ) posing as a kid to lure them to the house, have a real kid open the door for them, and then Chris Hansen would pop by to ask the predator questions. That’s when the cameras and police come in. This was at a time when people would tune in to see what reality TV exposes to society.
The movie “Primetime” has Robert Pattinson in his third of the movies released in 2026 (“The Drama,” “The Odyssey,” and coming soon “Dune: Part Three”) portraying Hansen, and he does a charming job doing so. He has the smirk and attitude to represent a TV figure entering NBC’s Primetime schedule, while facing his own demons. Maybe that’s why the actor would see himself as a cross between Jerry Maguire and Dracula.
Think of movies like “Network,” “Nightcrawler” or “Natural Born Killers,” which shared a passion for crimes exposed in the media. The ratings, the criminals, and the people willing to expose them-it’s all part of a dangerous game. And “Primetime” is the latest addition. The real Chris Hansen wanted nothing to do with this project, because of how he says it exploits him, and I guess there are good reasons why.
In this movie, Hansen earns the respect of NBC to the point of earning a Primetime slot. The game is simple: the Perverted Justice tech guy Xavier Von Erck (Matthew Maher) messages the pedophiles who come to the sting houses, while the actress Del Harvey (Phoebe Bridgers) poses as a boy or girl. It all depends on the pervert’s interests. And our first criminal is an ex-marine (Tony Revolori), who breaks down when he realizes he’s done for.
The host is often met with praise for helping to keep society clean, while his cynical “Dateline” producer Andie Bender (Merrit Wever) prioritizes the show’s ratings. And therefore, the movie makes him out to be an anti-hero.
Hansen is also introduced to Dan Plumb (Skyler Gisando), the new decoy posing as a 13-year-old boy. He would fit the part considering he has a lot of freckles on his face and he does do good kid impressions to dupe the perverts. Just as long as he doesn’t have a delicate constitution. For now, let’s just call him Decoy Dan.
The more provocative film version of “To Catch a Predator” is the documentary “Predators,” which shows us the good guys and bad guys on both sides of the equation: the sickos and the men who destroy their lives on television. “Primetime” doesn’t have the complete depth and narrative of that film, but it does represent the host and behind the scenes with a riveting and haunting nature. There are also complications regarding an exposé against himself and trying to get assistant DA Bill Conradt (Alex Winter) out in the open. And Pattinson is brilliant through his portrayal of Hansen and what the movie represents him as.
Gisando never won my praise with movies like “Vacation” and “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” but he has shown improvement with movies like “Licorice Pizza,” “Booksmart,” and “Superman.” And in this movie, he has the versatility and sensitivity that has his character earning the nickname Decoy Dan. He’s also the actor we should be singling out in “Primetime.”
Director Lance Oppenheim was one of the youngest active contributors to The New York Times and also made the retirement home documentary “Some Kind of Heaven.” His feature debut likes to see the horrors of the show as well as the behind the scenes and host. And his directing style likes to make the format look like it’s on TV in 2006.
I don’t think Hansen will ever see this movie, but my name is Chris Zweig, so I saw it and I think it’s worth tuning in. Maybe not on NBC, but definitely in a movie theater.