Review: Woman of the Hour

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Official synopsis: Sheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick), a single woman looking for a suitor on a hit 1970s TV show, chooses charming bachelor Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), unaware that, behind the man's gentle façade, he hides a deadly secret.

Anna Kendrick not only stars in this film, based on an insane true story, but it's also her first time in the director's chair. That alone made this a priority for me after it premiered at Sundance. Now, thanks to Netflix, it's easily accessible for everyone.

I think Kendrick has promise as a director. She has some great set ups here, and she thankfully does not focus on Alcala's sexual violence. She finds clever ways to let you know what happened without actually showing the act. 

The biggest issue with Woman of the Hour is that it's telling the wrong story. Yes, it's insane that a serial killer ended up on nationally aired television dating show, but other than that, Sheryl Bradshaw doesn't have much to do with Alcala's crimes other than dodging a gigantic perv shaped bullet. I think the story would've been better told from Laura's (Nicolette Robinson) point of view. She is a spectator at the Dating Game who recognizes Alcala as someone who likely murdered her friend years earlier. I think a better set up would've been following her in the aftermath of her friends death, to the moment she spots him again at the Dating Game taping. The entire filming of the episode could've gone the same way.

Flipping between Laura and Amy (Autumn Best) the real woman who escaped Alcala and ultimately got him arrested would've worked better, in my opinion. The writers already took a ton of liberties with the Dating Game segment anyways. Why not have Laura have a hand in his eventual downfall too?

This wasn't a bad film by any means. It's a nice debut, well acted, and I was never bored. I just think there's a better story in there than the one we saw.

Grade: B-

Comments

  1. CandiceOctober 28, 2024 at 10:32 AM

    oh man, i think the idea of nicolette robinson's character being the focus is perfect! it would have hiked up the tension in a way the film desperately needed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. thevoid99October 28, 2024 at 1:58 PM

    I do hope to see this before the end of the year as I do like Anna Kendrick and the real story based on this is very interesting.

    ReplyDelete

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