Updated
Updated · Variety · Sep 26
Chris Hansen Slams 'Primetime,' Gives Pattinson's Portrayal a D
Updated
Updated · Variety · Sep 26

Chris Hansen Slams 'Primetime,' Gives Pattinson's Portrayal a D

3 articles · Updated · Variety · Sep 26

Summary

  • Chris Hansen said after seeing A24's “Primetime” that the film was “so bizarre” and “detached from reality,” teasing a fuller review on his podcast and YouTube channel at 7 p.m. ET Friday.
  • A Times Square viewing prompted Hansen to call the movie “pure fiction” and a “hit piece” on him and “To Catch a Predator,” while grading Robert Pattinson’s performance as Hansen a D.
  • Hansen had earlier walked out of a planned screening over a legal agreement he said A24 wanted him to sign, and had already described Pattinson’s impression as overly dramatic.
  • The film stars Pattinson as Hansen during the 2006 shift of “To Catch a Predator” into its own primetime block; A24 has framed it as inspired by true events, not a biopic.
  • “Primetime” opened in theaters this week after premiering at Venice, where it drew strong buzz and a seven-minute ovation despite Hansen’s threat of possible legal action.

Insights

Why did Chris Hansen wait until A24's controversial thriller hit theaters to slam it as a bizarre, exploitative fantasy?
Will Hansen's threat of a lawsuit against Robert Pattinson's new movie accidentally give the thriller the ultimate free marketing campaign?
Could A24's stylized docu-fantasia about a tragic 2006 sting operation cross the legal line into exploiting a living journalist's life?