We’re just a week removed from the wide release of Lance Oppenheim’s feature debut, Primetime, which became A24’s third-best opening weekend of all time. The film’s success has brought a hefty dose of discourse, but the Chasing the Gold team wants to wade right through that and examine its chances for the impending awards cycle leading up to the 99th Academy Awards.
Primetime follows Chris Hanson (Robert Pattinson) as he and producer Andie Bender (Merritt Wever) attempt to get their TV show, To Catch a Predator, off the ground and compete with the big boys in the ratings game. The film also features prominent performances from Skylar Gisondo and Phoebe Bridgers as decoys the show uses to initially interact with these predators before Hanson confronts them, and Matthew Maher as Xavier, the tech wizard who finds the predators online and has a passion for what the show is trying to accomplish.
Despite the film’s success, I’m not sure it has a high ceiling for awards potential. The clear leader is a potential Best Actor nomination for Robert Pattinson, who is having an incredible run this year between the divisive The Drama, a strong supporting performance in The Odyssey, Primetime, and a role in the highly anticipated Dune: Part Three in December. It’s no secret that the Academy loves performances portraying real people, no matter how over-the-top. There’s a big difference between pure imitation and interpretation, and Pattinson is doing more of the latter here, making creative choices that may deviate from a more imitated performance of Chris Hanson. It’s my favorite performance of his this year, and voters may rally around it.
I’d be surprised if Pattinson does not get a nomination somewhere, and it’s my read that it will either be Best Supporting Actor for The Odyssey or Best Actor for Primetime. Of course, there’s a world where he gets in for both, but I do not believe we live in that world. The Odyssey will be nominated in double-digit categories, so it makes sense to assume that Pattinson will come along for the ride (with a decent chance to win). It’s not impossible for him to win the battle for that last Best Actor spot with enough support, and we know he will be campaigning for other films all season long.
Pattinson is astounding, but I was blown away by Wever and Gisondo. Unfortunately, the latter has little chance of getting in for Supporting Actor, but Wever could have a shot at Supporting Actress. If you take a look at the list of potential contenders for her category, you see four spots taken up by two names: Penelope Cruz and Sandra Hüller. Cruz is high on the list for both La Bola Negra and The Invite, while Hüller shows up further down for Project Hail Mary and Digger. Some other contenders have much smaller roles in their films than people realize, so they could fall away once more people have seen them. Wever’s performance grounds the film in reality, delivering one of the more powerful scenes in Primetime. With enough sustained support, she could sneak in if others lose momentum.
While Primetime’s nominations are likely limited to one or two acting nominations, I’d like to pitch one more category that would be exciting to see it get in for: David Bolen for Cinematography. The film doesn’t have wide, sweeping landscapes or immaculate camera movements, but it’s hard to deny the unique shots, beautiful lighting, and color grading. It has a grainy texture from shooting on 16mm and scanning it to digital, creating a unique viewing experience.
Pattinson is Primetime’s best chance at scoring an Oscar nomination, but it’s still early. Nobody is safe until all of these films come out, and some performances in other categories that seem like locks right now could underperform, making way for someone like Merritt Wever to sneak in for Best Supporting Actress. It’ll be fun to watch the race unfold over the next six months, and hopefully we’ll see some Primetime recognition at several awards shows along the way.
