Movie Review: Woman of the Hour (2023)
Synopsis: Sheryl Bradshaw, a struggling actress living in Los Angeles in 1978, agrees to appear on The Dating Game as a way to gain exposure. She nails the part, even going off script with her questions to three bachelors. However, unbeknownst to her, Bachelor 3 is Rodney Alcala, a photographer who has killed multiple women.
The movie is based on a true story.
Who's in it? The movie stars Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale, Nicolette Robinson and Pete Holmes.
Review: My wife has recently gained an interest in true crime documentaries, so I figured a thriller based on a true story would be a good choice for movie night last night. However, while the descriptions sounded good, and I usually like Anna Kendrik films, Woman of the Hour just didn't do it for us.
Simply put, this movie just wasn't what I was expecting it to be when I picked it out. Sometimes that turns out to be a good thing, but this happened to be one of those times when it wasn't.
Let me start out by saying I thought the acting was solid. Kendrick, as always, was amazing and Daniel Zovatto pulled off Rodney Alcala perfectly, managing to be charming when needed but also putting off that creep factor. I also thought the supporting cast did their part as well.
My main problem with this movie is the focus on The Dating Game part of Alcala's story. Yes, the idea of a serial killer being a contestant on a dating show is something that gives his story a bit of an ironic twist. However, it was just a footnote in the much longer story about a man who may have murdered as many as 130 women. Centering the movie around that with a focus that was mostly on Kendrick's portray of Sarah, just doesn't do his story justice.
I would have much rather seen this film be more of a biopic, putting more of an emphasis on why he became a killer and how he managed to avoid arrest even when multiple witnesses were pointing fingers at him. If the filmmakers wanted to focus on just one part of that while filling in the details with flashbacks, I would much rather have seen it be centered around the runaway that survived by tricking him, not the woman who had a brief uncomfortable encounter then never saw him again.
Final Opinion: I see what the filmmakers were trying to do but as I said, I think the focus on a footnote in the serial killer Alcala's life just didn't provide enough substance to make this memorable. In fact, Kendrick's performance is the only thing keeping this from having a failing grade.
My Grade: C-
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Here are some reviews of other Anna Kendrick movies:
Movie Review: Alice, Darling (2022)
Movie Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
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