The first Primetime audience discussions are less about whether Robert Pattinson can play Chris Hansen and more about what kind of movie this is. Viewers in Reddit’s r/movies and r/A24 threads are praising the cast, especially Skyler Gisondo, while disagreeing sharply about the film’s uncomfortable jokes and the way it ends.
The A24 drama opened in US theaters on September 25. It is a scripted film set around the production of To Catch a Predator, not a documentary or a recreation of every real event. That matters when readers see people argue about the movie’s version of Hansen. They are reacting to a character played by Pattinson.
One viewer captured the tone in six words
A comment in the opening-day r/movies discussion summed up the experience this way:
“Incredibly uncomfortable. Unexpectedly hilarious.”
Others described laughs in their screenings, but some were uneasy about when their audience chose to laugh. One r/movies commenter said certain scenes felt too disturbing to treat as jokes. Another thought the film’s humor worked precisely because the TV production it portrays could be grim and absurd at the same time. Those two reactions explain why the same screening can feel very different to different people.
Gisondo is getting almost as much attention as Pattinson
Pattinson’s performance drew praise for small physical details and his exaggerated take on Hansen’s public persona. But several comments singled out Skyler Gisondo as Dan, the actor working inside the TV production. One viewer said he stole the show. Others said his story was the part they wanted more of, even when they liked Pattinson.
That praise does not make the response uniformly positive. A viewer who attended a premiere liked the acting but found the pacing weak, saying the characters’ changes happened too quickly. Another said the film felt like several stories competing for time. Some viewers also thought the ending stopped abruptly. These are reactions to the finished movie, not to the trailer.
The argument around Hansen is not going away
Some viewers found the fictional Hansen fascinating because the film shows a man drawn toward fame while presenting his television work as a public service. Others felt the portrayal pushed him into a darker, more exaggerated character than they expected. The conversations also return to the TV show’s subjects and whether a sting operation changes once it becomes entertainment.
Primetime is in US theaters now. If you want to avoid spoilers, be careful with the Reddit threads: both are marked as spoiler discussions. Our movie page has the confirmed cast and release details, and our review covers the film itself. These online comments are a look at the opening-day conversation, not a score or a verdict from all viewers.
