Cheryl Bradshaw, a single woman looking for a suitor on a hit 1970s TV show, chooses charming bachelor Rodney Alcala, unaware that, behind the man’s gentle facade, he hides a deadly secret.
Pam says:
Cheryl Bradshow (Anna Kendrick) is a typical actor trying to break into Hollywood in the 1970’s. Frustrated by the demands of the auditions, unwilling to compromise her integrity, she finds herself on “The Dating Game.” Her agent feels doing this show is the right move to get her “seen.” Meanwhile, we flash to another scenario in the past; a brutal introduction to Rodney (Daniel Zovatto) who is responsible for the murders of women happening around the country.
Eventually these two worlds collide in Hollywood as Rodney is chosen to be Bachelor #3 and Cheryl is the Bachelorette looking for love…or at least an acting gig. As Cheryl is prepped, the host, Ed (Tony Hale), gives her his words of wisdom that couldn’t be any more misogynistic and degrading. Round 1: Cheryl abides by the rules set by Ed, but then a commercial break allows her to add her own spice to a rather bland recipe.
To give much more away would take away from this little-known yet true-crime story. While there are several scenes that are disturbingly violent, Kendrick, who also directed this film, communicates this visually with absolute finesse. It’s a riveting story that zips by as you root for Cheryl to run the other way and live.
Wearing two hats — the director and the star — is no easy feat, especially given that this is her directorial debut, but Kendrick does so with ease. There’s a boundary between actor and director that she seems to innately understand and we, the viewer, benefit from that. We never feel that she’s in both seats at the same time and this gives her a chance to successfully do both acting and directing.
As I mentioned before, there are two stories and timelines within this story. At times, there is some confusion as to “when” we are, but by the third and final act, the confusion clears up. The story of Rodney is horrific and terrifying, but thanks to that style of storytelling, we aren’t overloaded as it cuts to Cheryl’s story. It’s a perfect balance.
Kendrick portrays Cheryl as if she’s lived that role. The frustration of awkward auditions and setting her own personal boundaries in those auditions is palpable. Her character is brutally intelligent, running circles around others, but only after given permission to be herself from older, wiser women.
You don’t have a believable story unless you have an authentic villain and Zovatto is just that. He’s menacing and charming; another perfect balance in this film. The subtleties required to pull this off are countless, but Zovatto’s performance will send chills down your spine. The character is socially brilliant, understanding the psychology of everyone he encounters. This, of course, enables him to gain the trust of unwitting women to their ultimate demise. Those victims played by Kelley Jakle, Kathryn Gallagher, and Autumn Best bring us painfully into their situations and thanks to Kendrick’s direction, we feel what they feel without traumatizing us by seeing what is happening. Suggestion is a powerful tool and enough for us to understand what has happened ; and Kendrick comprehends this as a director.
With a succinct script and no wasted scenes — thank you, writer Ian McDonald — “Woman of the Hour” is a grippingly disturbing tale of a notorious serial murder. As with many movies based upon true stories, you’ll ask yourself, “Why had I never heard of this before?” And after seeing this film, you’ll never forget.
3 1/2 Stars
Chuck says:
At times disjointed but still compelling, Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, “Woman of the Hour,” examines the fate of four women at the hands of serial killer Rodney Alcala. The results of the encounters vary but the trauma inflicted on each permanently affects them all, none of them left unscathed by this monster in men’s clothing.
Alcala became known as the Dating Game Killer, having appeared on the show in 1978. It’s unknown how many women he had killed before then though some estimates put the number at nearly 100. It is here that he crosses paths with struggling actress Cheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick), who’s only on the show because her agent convinces her it would be good exposure. That she manages to choose Alcala as her date among the three eligible bachelors shows how charming he could be.
Kendrick employs flashbacks and flashforwards throughout, showing us Alcala’s encounters with other victims. He’s portrayed as a cypher, a manipulative, cold psychopath whose joy in killing is obvious, Daniel Zovatto’s portrayal of him a chilling piece of work. No background is provided regarding his childhood, no traumatic incidents are cited as being formative events in his becoming a killer. He is seen as nothing more than a predator, hiding in plain sight.
Which is to the point of Ian McDonald’s taut script. The fact that a witness to one of his previous killings is ignored when she spots him on the game show and the revelation that many other women’s concerns about him were ignored, speak to rampant sexism in police forces of the era. This is the true tragedy of the piece, as it becomes obvious that lives could have been saved had these women’s warnings been heeded.
Kendrick is assured behind the camera, the film moving at a decent pace, her camera movies kept to a minimum, never distracting and always serving a purpose. Most importantly, her point of view is always that of the victim, their terror and helplessness stressed time and again to horrific, infuriating effect.
What with the popularity of true crime stories, “Woman of the Hour” is necessary viewing for fans of the genre. It manages to satisfy the perverse curiosity surrounding these kinds of events and those who perpetrate them. But more importantly its portrayal of women who refuse to be victimized is essential, providing profiles in courage that serve as vivid examples of survival after trauma.
3 Stars
