New Release: Primetime
We're inching closer to the time of year when we see actors make their case for an Oscar.
Robert Pattinson will have no shortage of films to submit to the Academy with his performances in The Drama, The Odyssey, Primetime, and Dune 3.
Primetime is this week's case for that coveted golden trophy. Once again, Pattinson completely transforms himself. Not into someone unrecognizable like Antinous or Charlie, but into someone some of us know well: Chris Hansen.
Dateline: To Catch a Predator was must-see TV in the early 2000s, and Chris Hansen was famous for interrupting many a child predator who came looking for prey. But anyone who saw last year's documentary Predators knows that the show wasn't as simple as good vs. evil. This year's Primetime builds on that narrative, but only in a way A24 can deliver.
What works: the performances are amazing. Pattinson, Merritt Wever, and Skylar Gisondo are equally incredible. Pattinson doesn't just PLAY Chris Hansen...he BECOMES Chris Hansen. His mannerisms, inflections, everything is played to perfection. In one scene, he is in a recording studio practicing different ways to deliver his lines, and all you can hear is Hansen. It's eerie, but we're probably witnessing one of the best actors of this time.
Wever, playing Hansen's producer, goes toe-to-toe with Pattinson in every scene, chomping on gum, working her position to find new opportunities, and exploiting every moment to boost ratings. Gisondo, you'll remember him as Jimmy Olsen from last year's Superman, is playing one of the decoys used by the show to lure the pedophiles into the house for Hansen to confront. His performance is brilliant, from the discomfort of watching him be thrown to the wolves in his first episode to the moment he understands his complicity in turning exploitation into entertainment.
What doesn't: With so many great performances, it sounds weird, but the acting outshines the story. Maybe it's because of too many POVs in such a short film, or maybe it's my bias from seeing last year's documentary, Predators. Although you do get a feel for the grey area this show seemed to live in, I think the documentary does an even better job of making the audience understand that even though no one should feel bad for any pedophile, there was something about the show that had an underlying ickiness to it. I suggest you watch the documentary before or after seeing Primetime, but definitely make time to see it.
Good flick, not sure it's worth a full-price ticket, but if you have a membership or use a $5/6 movie night, make sure you catch Primetime on the big screen. If anything, it's a chance to see Pattinson in what might be an Oscar-nominated role. 3.75/5
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