Primetime is a campy exploitation thriller. An odd choice of tone given the bleak subject matter. Robert Pattinson plays a caricature of  Chris Hansen, the host of To Catch a Predator. He’s supposedly driven mad by his sleazy true crime show. But Pattinson plays him as a horny, twitchy freak from the start. He hasn’t far to go.

Skyler Gisondo plays the fictional Dan Plumb. An aspiring actor cast as the decoy tween who lures predators to their arrests. He gets the most complex arc of the story. But the film’s more interested in the black comedy of his situation than the psychological toll it’s taking.

Merritt Wever plays Angie Bender, the easily corrupted producer. She’s the only woman with any real screen time. Anna Faris is wasted as Hansen’s neglected wife. Phoebe Bridges is overshadowed by Gisondo as the show’s other decoy. The two share a brief conversation. But there was more material to mine here.

The screenplay, by Akon Singh and Luke Dittrich, makes the audience and characters complicit in turning such ugly material into entertainment. But it knows it’s guilty of the same sins. The tone occasionally reminded me of Chicago the Musical. Things got so wackadoo at times I half expected Pattinson and Gisondo to dance the “Hot Honey Rag.”

Did you catch Primetime this weekend? Share your thoughts below.