A Man’s World From a Woman’s Perspective in “Woman of the Hour” – Review
- Colton Gomez
- Dec 28, 2024
- 3 min read
Review
By Colton Gomez | 12/28/24 | 8:21 P.M. Mountain Time
Thriller, Mystery | Rated R | 1 hr 35 min | "Woman of the Hour" Release Date: October 18, 2024
“Woman of the Hour” is a movie that I think won’t resonate with a lot of people. Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut based on the biography by Sheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick) and her encounter with serial killer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) on the national television show “The Dating Game.” That basic premise is interesting but can’t really carry a movie by itself. So, the movie fills in where the main story falls apart with vignettes of the victims. Each of these encounters tells us the same thing every time; something we’ve already been told in the opening scene. These women and men who were victimized by Alcala deserve to have their story told but this wasn’t the best way to do it.
Bradshaw is an actress living in late ‘70s Los Angeles, looking for her big break. She auditions frequently but gets no callbacks. The film implies that she will get roles if she agrees to do nudity. Her agent gets her a spot on “The Dating Show” as the bachelorette who will get to know the personalities of three eligible bachelors and meet them at the end. Unknowingly, she picks bachelor number three, Alcala (at the time, unknown for his crimes). The majority of the film takes place on the set of “The Dating Game.” Throughout, we cutaway to experiences of victims and how they were manipulated by Alcala. We also get one very small subplot of a woman whose friend was victimized and is never heard by police or men despite her pleas.
The film has plenty to say about the patriarchy of the late ‘70s and how it’s still an uphill battle. It’s not subtle in its display of contempt for entitled and ignorant men in power and how even the most disgustingly inhuman of them aren’t held accountable. This makes me question the film’s ending. What changed? Why was this one woman suddenly listened to when all the others were ignored? Why was this response swift and crushing? What did the woman say or do that got through to the right people? She was smart and played the situation well to get out alive, but what changed?
The film despairs how a system could create and enable such a person as Alcala. It’s really about women’s experiences in a man-dominated world and the fear they constantly feel in their powerlessness to men’s powerfulness. It’s not a world I’m intimately familiar with, and that’s the whole point. It’s about a woman’s perspective. Many of the female-centric subtleties will be lost on me, but it wasn’t made for me.
The women in the film are constantly trying to do enough to avoid being subjected to male sexual aggression until Bradshaw acts of her own accord. During the show, Bradshaw is empowered by her makeup woman and goes off script to ask the eligible bachelors her own questions. Interrogating the patriarchy live on national television, she asks the eligible bachelors, “what is a woman for?” Each, except for Alcala, gives a poor answer which objectifies women. Alcala has been shown to be an intimidating manipulator who uses his charm and charisma to lure each of his victims. The most daring of which is his appearance on the show.
The performances in this film are serviceable but nobody’s winning any awards for them. Each character is fairly one-note, which isn’t very demanding. The film tries to make it about Bradshaw and her experience in Los Angeles but it doesn’t work with the heavy themes of assault and murder. Bradshaw’s experience, as told by the movie, is as a contestant who didn’t know who Alcala was; only that he seemed nice on the show and later tried to assault her. I was about halfway through the film and still trying to figure out what the film was going to be about. There’s no real setup of tension or goal on Bradshaw’s part. The film really wants to be about a fierce feminist who nudges the system in the right direction, empowers other women, and chooses what’s best for her. But using the Alcala murders to explicate this is not the best fit. Overall, this film felt unfocused.
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Review by Colton Gomez
Colton Gomez earned his BA in Film Studies from Weber State University. He owns and operates ColtonGomez.com. Here, he covers new releases in theaters and on streaming. For short versions of his reviews, check out his LetterBoxd
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