Primetime

I never watched To Catch a Predator back in the day. Everything I know about the short-lived reality show comes from a YouTuber I like named Mista GG. Mista GG's content is mostly movie reviews, but when he was up-and-coming he did a series where he goofed on TCAP. I think he had like 27 episodes titled "The Predator Chronicles" covering most of the original TCAP investigations and some of the Hansen Vs. Predator investigations. So while I'm not super knowledgeable about TCAP, I also wasn't going into Primetime completely blind.

Primetime, directed by Lance Oppenheim, is "based on true events". Despite Oppenheim's work as a documentarian, this is not a documentary or a faithful portrayal of Chris Hansen and TCAP. It's what we call "heightened". Robert Pattison's (excellent) performance is what I would call an "interpretation" of Chris Hansen. He's got Hansen's cadence and growly little vocal fry down pat. But he plays up Hansen's self-importance to the nth degree, portraying him as a megalomanic who will do anything for recognition and validation. Now, I don't know the real Chris Hansen, but I'm guessing there's a little bit of an exaggeration there.

That alone will turn off some viewers. Additionally, Primetime is a darkly funny film about the deeply unfunny topic of child predation. I laughed A LOT during this film and I think that's what Oppenheim intended. The movie is nuts. It is salacious. It is over-the-top. It even has this weird sexual energy in the first half when TCAP is pulling in high ratings and being moved to...primetime. Chris and (fictional) producer Andie Bender (Merritt Wever) are over the moon excited about the prospect of their show going up against Lost--the biggest show on TV at the time. Some of the looks they give each other are downright orgasmic.

Primetime has sleazy vibes, but in a self-aware way. I think it's appropriate given that TCAP itself is a trashy, sleazy, guilty pleasure. Although the movie is certainly not on the "side" of Chris Hansen and TCAP, it's also not a serious reflection on the problems of vigilante justice and how these kinds of sting operations can have a detrimental effect on bringing true justice to the victims and serve only as power fantasies for those directly involved and the viewers. We all know at this point that there are abusers, rapists, and pedophiles (and their protectors) within our government, churches, and other institutions...and we see that if they have a certain level of power, money, and clout, they will never be held to account for their crimes. So TCAP is a pretty bitter pill to swallow knowing that, actually, most average people don't care about pedophiles--especially when the pedo in question is someone they love and admire.

Primetime is less about the failings of vigilante justice and more of a study of its (mostly fictional) characters: Pattinson's exaggerated Hansen seething with jealousy over "real" journalists like Stone Phillips, Andie's obsession with ratings, and Dan Plum's (Skyler Gisondo) dreams of being a SAG member.

Dan, nicknamed Decoy Dan by Chris, is modeled on TCAP decoy Dan Schrack. Gisondo turns in a really wonderful performance as a big-hearted aspiring actor who takes the gig as pedo bait (he's 23 years old, but can pass for 13) because it pays well and, again, he wants to become a Screen Actor's Guild member. But being pedo bait takes a toll on him, as you might imagine. His natural charm does the job luring the men into the homes where they are confronted by Hansen, but Dan is often left shaken by these encounters. Chris even takes Dan out to dinner at one point to convince to stay on the show, saying that his credit should read "hero" because he (like Chris) is out here fighting evil. It's no accident that Chris's behavior--squeezing Dan on the arm, taking him to dinner and buying him drinks--feels reminiscent of grooming. Because the movie is, of course, asking "who is the real predator".

But also...it ain't that serious. Primetime, in my opinion at least, does not feel like it's up it's own ass. It feels like some people who got a real kick out of TCAP and how strange and ridiculous it was came together and said "let's make a movie about everything we love about this show and turn it up to 11". It has a fever dream quality to it. It also has...what's the word for when something is sad or heartfelt, but also funny at the same time? Pathos? Or maybe just pathetic? In any case, there are scenes--one in particular that has Dan, a musical theatre nerd, singing "Seasons of Love" to a weeping pervert about to be arrested--where it's like, wow I really feel the humanity of this scene but it's also so goddamned funny I can't stop laughing at it. That scene is basically Primetime in a nutshell--there is a certain amount of recognizable human emotion in it, but that emotion is sandwiched in between layers of dark humor. 

In other words, Primetime is extremely my shit. If you couldn't tell from my review, I loved it. It may be the single most entertaining movie I've seen in theatres this year. Have I seen better movies? Yes. But none made me laugh with as much glee as this one. This movie is lowkey for sickos. A movie about catching sickos made by and for another type of sicko--the fucked up movie kind of sicko. 

Grade: A

Me, watching Robert Pattison say "You see how this looks, right?"