{"id":3201,"date":"2026-10-02T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/?p=3201"},"modified":"2026-10-23T21:03:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T21:03:13","slug":"why-dont-you-have-seat-over-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/2026\/10\/02\/why-dont-you-have-seat-over-there\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Why don\u2019t you have a seat over there?’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Randall Elvin <\/a>\u00b7 Entertainment Editor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Robert Pattinson plays Chris Hansen in “Primetime.”(A24 Studios)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Anyone who has watched \u201cTo Catch a Predator\u201d will remember hearing these lines: \u201cWhy don\u2019t you have a seat over there?\u201d \u201cYou see how this looks, right?\u201d Chris Hansen would sit across from a shaky man and read back his online messages while surrounded by cameras eager to capture every aspect of his meltdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Directed by Lance Oppenheim and released by A24, \u201cPrimetime\u201d is a satirical drama thriller about fame, obsession and evil. Set in 2006, the movie follows Hansen as he tries to get \u201cTo Catch a Predator\u201d into primetime television, with ratings and network pressure constantly hanging over the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Pattinson plays the role of Chris Hansen, and his performance alone makes the movie worth watching. Pattinson has already shown his range in films such as \u201cTenet,\u201d \u201cThe Lighthouse\u201d and \u201cThe Odyssey.\u201d He will also appear in the upcoming film \u201cDune: Part Three.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In \u201cPrimetime,\u201d Pattinson disappears, and Chris Hansen appears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever Hansen enters a sting operation, he struts in like a superhero. Pattinson sells every second of Hansen\u2019s ridiculous confidence. The problem is, the more he believes in his own image, the more unsettling he becomes, and the movie does very well in showing this struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPrimetime\u201d never allows Hansen to be a clean-cut, morally sound hero. Hansen has his own flaws, like his failing marriage and his celebrity status getting to his head. In his mind, he truly believes he is the person to judge evil. Throughout the movie, Hansen faces the question of who gave him that authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The movie opens with Hansen clearly caring about the ratings of the television show and appeasing NBC, the show\u2019s network. At the same time, it shows his hatred for the people he believes represent true evil. Hansen tells the story that changed everything for him and explains how he came to see evil as a force he had to fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hansen genuinely seems to want to catch terrible people, but he also wants the biggest show possible. Without a strong rating, how can he keep his show going? If he doesn\u2019t go for the biggest stories, why would people tune in? During one scene, he insists on waiting for a perpetrator and will not rest until he is caught. Is he doing it to protect the kids or to be the biggest star? \u201cPrimetime\u201d never gives the audience a clear answer about which motivation matters the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But \u201cPrimetime\u201d does not just talk about evil and struggles. It forces the audience to sit in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hansen pursues disgusting predators throughout the movie, and \u201cPrimetime\u201d forces you to feel immersed in the shock of it. The camera constantly cuts to abnormally close shots, making it difficult to distance yourself from what is happening. Chat logs from the predators are read out loud in a disgusting manner that feels like they are being read right into your ear. There is no easy way to look away. The movie makes you face the reality of what these predators are willing to say and do. \u201cPrimetime\u201d separates itself from a traditional movie. It does not simply tell you these people are disgusting; it makes you experience the discomfort of facing them, and that\u2019s what sets it apart. Movies do not always have to fit the typical mold. \u201cPrimetime\u201d does not move neatly from A to B, and it does not give you a clear character arc with a simple resolution. It is strange and unsettling. Movies do not always have to be comfortable. Sometimes they can be an experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Randall Elvin \u00b7 Entertainment Editor Anyone who has watched \u201cTo Catch a Predator\u201d will remember hearing these lines: \u201cWhy don\u2019t you have a seat over there?\u201d \u201cYou see how this looks, right?\u201d Chris Hansen would sit across from a shaky man and read back his online messages while surrounded by cameras eager to capture […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":3202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[220],"tags":[21,258,254,75],"class_list":["post-3201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movies-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-movies-tv","tag-oct-2-2026-edition-2","tag-randall-elvin"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/primetime-option-6-cmyk.webp",2000,1333,false],"thumbnail":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/primetime-option-6-cmyk-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"medium":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/primetime-option-6-cmyk-300x200.webp",300,200,true],"medium_large":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/primetime-option-6-cmyk-767x511.webp",767,511,true],"large":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/primetime-option-6-cmyk-1024x682.webp",1024,682,true],"1536x1536":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/primetime-option-6-cmyk-1536x1024.webp",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/10\/primetime-option-6-cmyk.webp",2000,1333,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"elvinrj23","author_link":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/author\/elvinrj23\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Randall Elvin \u00b7 Entertainment Editor Anyone who has watched \u201cTo Catch a Predator\u201d will remember hearing these lines: \u201cWhy don\u2019t you have a seat over there?\u201d \u201cYou see how this looks, right?\u201d Chris Hansen would sit across from a shaky man and read back his online messages while surrounded by cameras eager to capture…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3201"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3357,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3201\/revisions\/3357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}