Primetime

Robert Pattinson. That's it. Robert Pattinson is working on a level that so many of his peers simply aren't. I watch interviews with him and I don't get it. Most of the time when I see him outside of a movie, he seems like he just smoked a big fat bowl and it there purely for the LOLs. He just comes across as so disinterested in the whole actor thing, but then he does THIS. Primetime. A movie about Chris Hansen of all people.

Now, before I watched it, I have little to no knowledge about Chris Hansen or how that show was created. I've seen it, when it was on, like most people, but I never really thought about it and what it represented, and the kind of doubled sided intentions that can inspire a show like that.

I won't get into the actual nuts and bolts of what this movie is about, because it really should just be experienced, but I will say that it makes you think a lot about intentions and the morality of using the punishment and shaming of abusers as entertainment. It's an interesting question, and it's explored expertly.

There's some controversy because Chris Hansen says it's all bullshit and made up. But the fun thing is that I don't care what Chris Hansen says. I had no opinion of him before, and mostly my opinion of him now is that he seems very desperate and sad. But that's just my assessment from my perch here on the internet. I don't know the guy, and like I said, I don't really know anything about him. So I don't care.

I do know that this was a great movie. I'm curious how much of it was true, but it also doesn't really matter, because it's not a historical document. It's a message about our culture and the people who run the entertainment industry, and how those people think about the shows they're making, and what they think about their audience.

The acting is really what shines the most in the movie. As I've said, Robert is incredible as Chris Hansen. He's both pathetic, and charming, and fucking bonkers. It's Tour de Force. A triumph. I can't say it enough ways. He's amazing.

Merritt Weaver was also a standout among excellent performances. I've been a fan of hers for a while. Since Nurse Jackie. She's so good. Always. She brings an authenticity to every performance that's both vulnerable and tough. She's always working in layers. You can see it her in face as she's thinking. She does really good thoughtful stares. She's subtle, but strong.

She plays the show's lead producer, and kind of bridges the weirdness of Chris and the seedy underbelly of the reality TV, with the moral and ethical questions involved in creating that kind of show. The way she handles Chris, and herself, is masterful.

Skyler Gisondo is great as Decoy Dan. The majority of the perspective of this movie is through the eyes of Decoy Dan, a struggling actor cast as one of the decoy "kids" on the show. It was a smart move to give us a real ground level perspective on this whole phenomenon. He's got the innocence needed in order to give us a visceral reaction some of the horrible elements of that experience. He does while playing both a 25-year-old, and a 13-year-old, albeit a 25-year-old's somewhat awkward impersonation of a 13-year-old.

He's going to play Jimmy Olson from Superman again on the upcoming Gorilla Grodd show that's being produced right now, and I'm kind of excited for it, partially because he's such a fun actor.

I could say a lot about this movie, but it's better if you just go see it. It's really good.

4.5 stars.