Robert Pattinson continues to make endlessly interesting choices as one of the most dynamic and intriguing actors of his generation. However, even given the diversity of his recent roles (including his most Pattinsoniest performance in “Good Time”), nobody expected him to portray “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen. But that’s exactly what he’s done in “Primetime,” the new A24 thriller that chronicles the production of the infamous “Dateline NBC” segment and how it all ended in tragedy. It represents the narrative feature debut of “Some Kind of Heaven” and “Spermworld” documentarian Lance Oppenheim, and it’s prompted significant buzz ahead of its fast-approaching theatrical release. Now critics have weighed in and things are looking good. But it’s more complicated than it seems.
At the time of writing, the film has managed an impressive 94% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. The thing is, though, that number, like the show on which the film is based, is deceptive. It’s accurate to say that critics have been impressed overall with the movie so far, but there’s enough doubt and skepticism in the positive reviews to make that 94% score misleading.
On the whole, critics seem to have been won over by Pattinson, who delivers what Raphael Abraham of the Financial Times called “a darkly mesmerising performance.” According to Deadline, Pattinson may even be “entering the Christian Bale period of his career” with this latest performance, with the outlet describing the film around him as “a stylish, almost Shakespearean meditation on ambition.” Oppenheim seems to have made the transition from factual entertainment to narrative filmmaking with flair, then. But according to several reviews, there’s something crucial missing from “Primetime.”
Critics (mostly) love Primetime
“Primetime” arrives in the shadow of the must-watch 2025 documentary “Predators,” which probed the ethics of conducting sting operations that ruined the lives of perpetrators in real-time for the masses’ entertainment. “To Catch a Predator” set up hidden cameras in suburban homes where child predators were invited to meet with young decoys before being accosted by Hansen and ultimately arrested. In the documentary, ethnographer Mark de Rond points out that in these moments where men are confronted by Hansen, “What you’re seeing is effectively someone else’s life end.” With “Predators,” director David Osit delivers a troubling and revelatory investigation into what imbibing that sort of “entertainment” says about our culture and how it affected that culture in the years after “To Catch a Predator” went off the air.
In contrast, many critics seem to have noticed that this critical aspect is absent from “Primetime” — which, considering the film leads up to a horrific tragedy that laid bare the shortsightedness of the entire show, feels slightly odd. Indeed, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian found “Primetime” to be a “strangely overwrought and heavy-footed drama-thriller” that “isn’t at all sure what it wants to say about media or morality.” Even positive reviews noted the lack of a critical edge with regard to the ethics of “To Catch a Predator.” The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney, for instance, thought it showed “too little intellectual or psychological curiosity to displace ‘Predators’ as the more serious study,” while Variety’s Jessica Kiang claimed the movie “never swings its ravenous camera back on us,” perhaps because “Oppenheim knows we’re not ready for what it would reveal.”
That said, critics certainly aren’t disappointed by Robert Pattinson’s performance. Quite the opposite, the actor has received praise from even those who didn’t care for the film overall.
Robert Pattinson has lived up to expectations with Primetime
There are plenty of performers to watch out for in “Primetime,” most notably the DC Universe’s Jimmy Olsen, Skyler Gisondo, and the indie queen herself Phoebe Bridgers. But there’s no doubt Robert Pattinson is the main draw here. We’ve known we were in for something special ever since the “Primetime” trailer dropped and viewers marveled at the uncanniness of the British star’s Chris Hansen impression. Now, critics have confirmed he’s managed to live up to expectations.
Stephanie Zacharek of TIME Magazine wasn’t a big fan of the film overall, but even she admitted that “Pattinson’s performance is one of the only reasons to see it.” Elsewhere, Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri was particularly impressed with Pattinson’s portrayal of Chris Hansen, explaining how he was entirely unprepared for what he described as “a stunning demonstration of the actor’s range.” Hannah Strong of Little White Lies similarly praised Pattinson for “wear[ing] Chris Hansen’s skin like a suit,” claiming the actor is “sharper than ever” in his latest role.
Clearly, then, Pattinson has managed to distract from the film’s shortcomings. Lance Oppenheim, meanwhile, looks to have proved he can tackle narrative filmmaking just as well as he can factual entertainment. His previous movies “Some Kind of Heaven” and “Spermworld” were two of the most interesting documentaries of the 2020s, and his success with “Primetime” only means we’ll be getting more interesting projects from the man moving forward. That said, if you can watch “Predators” as well as “Primetime,” you absolutely should.
“Primetime” is set to open in theaters on September 25, 2026.
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