Robert Pattinson’s turn as disgraced television host Chris Hansen is generating the strongest reviews of his career, with A24’s “Primetime” landing to a near eight-minute standing ovation at its Venice Film Festival premiere and a critics’ score above 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Directed by Lance Oppenheim, the film dramatizes the rise and unraveling of Hansen, who spent years confronting suspected child predators on NBC’s “To Catch a Predator” before the show’s methods drew lasting controversy. Pattinson, who also produced, plays Hansen as consumed by his own fame, a performance one critic described as a fusion of “Jerry Maguire and Count Dracula.” Several reviewers went further, suggesting the role could push Pattinson into the kind of awards conversation that greeted Christian Bale’s transformation-heavy performances, with comparisons also drawn to Jake Gyllenhaal’s turn in “Nightcrawler.” A critic writing for the BBC called the performance extraordinary and predicted it would draw Oscar attention, though he cautioned that any nomination would likely prove divisive given the subject matter.
The film’s supporting cast includes Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Phoebe Bridgers and Bokeem Woodbine, and critics have singled out the editing for weaving between the show’s public spectacle and the private toll it exacted. One review called the approach uncomfortably immersive, noting the film’s queasy intimacy with its subject even as its performances kept audiences from looking away.
The real Chris Hansen has publicly distanced himself from the project. He declined to attend a screening, telling a Fox News host that A24’s lawyers wanted him to sign away rights to his name and image, along with any legal claims tied to the film. He has also suggested actor Denis Leary would have made a better casting choice and reportedly purchased advertising to direct audiences toward his own streaming venture instead. Hansen has since offered a partial concession on Pattinson’s performance, calling elements of it “overly dramatic” but acknowledging “there is a pretty good imitation there.” Asked about the criticism in Venice, Pattinson said simply that he hoped Hansen would like the film.
“Primetime” opens in theaters nationwide on Sept. 25.
