Primetime
I want to call this movie "the Chris Hansen biopic", but to my knowledge Chris Hansen wasn't consulted and isn't particularly keen on the finished result. Wikipedia tells me he called it "detached from reality". Which is fair. The entire time I was watching it, I kept thinking "wow, I hope Chris Hansen has healed from whatever happened in his past because goddamn what a dark mirror".
In any case, I barely knew what Primetime was about before going in. I'd heard it's a horrific watch. Always an intriguing endorsement. I love media that takes huge risks and aims to unsettle its audience. Primetime did exactly that. I don't think my muscles unclenched during the entire runtime.
Robert Pattison's turn towards more subversive roles delights me to no end. He absolutely dominates the film as Hansen. I'd never really understood his appeal beyond being one of the oddest actors with the most dramatic career trajectory in Hollywood history. I love that for him and it makes me trust him implicitly with any movie he chooses to be in. But, as a lesbian, there wasn't much more than that to it. It's all respect for the game.
Why did the Chris Hansen movie change that for me? I'm ashamed to admit that Pattinson's performance did it for me. I get it now, people attracted to me. I see the appeal. I've also never really had gender envy, but the second verse is the same as the first. Do I want to be him or be with him? This is as confusing as it is exhilarating.
Aside from the abject objectification I've indulged in, I have to say this was one of my favorite movie-going experiences. I'm glad I took a wild hair on a slow Sunday to treat myself.
Pattison, as I've alluded to, turned in one of my favorite performances -- whether from him or from any other actor. He consistently impresses and his portrayal of a man so poisoned by his own unshakable conviction that he's doing the right thing was a delight. Merritt Wever's Andie Bender takes turns trying to enable and rein him in; a delicate balance that she carries with aplomb. Watching them play off each other was like watching a train wreck in the best way possible. Sleazy, noble, human. I ate all of it up.
Skyler Gisondo's Dan Plum provides an excellent foil to both. He's ambitious, but in a less high-handed, self righteous way. One foot stands in this bizarre world of exploitative reality TV and the other remains firmly planted in a more material reality. The narrative desperately needs him to remind us that we shouldn't buy into Hansen and Bender's bullshit -- which is an all too appealing prospect at times.
It also delighted me to see Alex Winter! Though I'm not familiar with his recent documentary work, I always enjoy the sincerity his brings to every performance. He brought so much pathos to Bill Conradt without tipping into apologia. Instead, Winter gives the impression that predators shouldn't be mythologized. Calling them "monsters" gives them too much power. His performance posits that we should see them as humans, no matter how uncomfortable that makes us. I'd recommend reading his Collider interview for more insight into his nuanced approach to this topic.
All that being said, Primetime falls just short of a 5-star watch for me. I'll need to do a little more reflection, but something about the pacing gnaws at me. Perhaps it's the side-tracking into Hansen's affair. Not the plot point itself -- that works well to ratchet up the tension and up the stakes. I think I take issue with the fact that it offers a glimmer of redemption for this fictionalized version of him. It would have been a bit more impactful if it had remained off-screen. Again, I need to sit with this and re-watch to have a more fully formed opinion on why this didn't quite do it for me.
I'd recommend Primetime for the atmosphere and performances alone. I'll be thinking about this movie for a good long while. Everyone should watch it. Now. Seriously, go treat yourself like I did.