Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Woman of the Hour’ on Netflix, An Excellent Drama About the ‘Dating Game’ Killer, Directed by Anna Kendrick

Anna Kendrick stars in and makes her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour (now on Netflix), a tight-wound true-crime thriller about the notorious “ Dating Game Killer.” So yes, it’s a terrifying BOATS ( Based On A True Story ) movie, dramatizing the appearance of serial killer Rodney Alcala , who appeared as a contestant on the blind-date TV show in 1978, smack in the middle of his gruesome rape-and-murder spree. In front of the camera, Kendrick plays Cheryl Bradshaw, the Dating Game contestant who “won” a date with the guy, and behind the camera, she assures that Woman of the Hour keenly avoids the trappings of typical serial-killer thrillers.

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The Gist: WYOMING, 1977. Rodney (Daniel Zovatto) seems like a sensitive-artist type, earnest in his compliments of the female subject of his photography. They’re in a ruggedly beautiful, isolated landscape, rife with lovely lighting and scenery. The nice-guy shtick quickly fades when Rodney puts his hands around the woman’s neck, chokes her into unconsciousness, then resuscitates her so he can do it again. We also see Rodney “in action” in SAN GABRIEL, 1979. Amy (Autumn Best) sleeps on a bench, steals quarters from a laundromat and huddles beneath an outdoor staircase. Rodney approaches her with his camera, asks if she’s ever considered modeling. He seems nice enough, so Amy gets in his car and he drives out to the desert for a photoshoot.

In between these two timestamps, we hang out with aspiring actress Cheryl (Kendrick) in HOLLYWOOD, 1978. She’s just finished another gross, objectifying audition for two male casting agents. Routine humiliation just seems like part of the deal, and it’s mostly for naught, because the bills are piling up. Desperate, she lets her agent talk her into appearing on The Dating Game , hoping to get some positive exposure. Then she sleeps with her more-than-slightly pathetic, doofy neighbor (Pete Holmes) as an act of reluctant generosity. Perhaps it goes without saying that Cheryl isn’t happy about any of this.

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Cheryl shows up at the studio for the Dating Game shoot. Host Ed Burke (Tony Hale) talks down to her, while the hair and makeup women get her all dolled up, and joke about the male contestants: “They’re idiots, all of them. I don’t know where they’re getting them. From under a rock!” We jump back to NEW YORK CITY, 1971, where Rodney, camera in hand, approaches a young woman and disarms her with his sincerity. And then to LA TIMES, 1977, where a young reporter catches a strange vibe from Rodney’s photo portfolio, then watches as the police question him and joke around with him when they let him go.

Back to 1978 and The Dating Game , where Cheryl goes off-script to make Contestant No. 1 look even dumber than he is and make Contestant No. 2 double down on his sexist piggishness. Contestant No. 3 seems to be her only option; at least he’s, yes, sensitive and earnest. Meanwhile, a member of the studio audience (Nicolette Robinson) gets a chill when she recognizes Contestant No. 3. She last saw him on the night her friend was raped and murdered, and the perp was never caught. She tries to tell security, a producer and her boyfriend, but they all think she’s overreacting, mistaken and/or hysterical. “It’s a big TV show,” her boyfriend says incredulously. “Don’t you think they vet their contestants?”

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Christine also dramatized a chilling real-life 1970s live-TV incident. Zodiac ’s fingerprints have been on pretty much every true-crime serial-killer movie of the past decade-and-a-half. And Netflix will inevitably lump Woman in with similar serial-killer dramas like The Good Nurse and Ted Bundy BOATS movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile .

Performance Worth Watching: Although Kendrick gives her best performance since A Simple Favor (and maybe even Up in the Air ), this acknowledgment belongs to newcomer Best (her only other acting credit is TV series 4400 ), who digs deep during the harrowing third act.

Memorable Dialogue: Cheryl and Rodney recap their Dating Game experience after the taping:

Rodney: Did you feel seen?

Cheryl: I felt looked at.

Sex and Skin: Implied sexual violence.

Our Take: Engrossing and effective, Woman of the Hour is an assured directorial effort from Kendrick, who draws uniformly strong performances from the cast, cleanly juggles a chopped-up timeline and draws persuasive themes from the subtext. The film astutely implies that deep-seated misogyny in Hollywood – and a few other societal systems, of course – created a nurturing environment for sickos like Rodney Alcala to thrive. Sometimes the film lacks subtlety in its depiction of an industry that long capitalized on sexism, but it’s hard to deny the potency of its message.

Kendrick also skillfully draws out suspense with shrewd editing and pacing. She pieces together a nerve-wracking third act, elongating tense moments between herself and Zovatto, and encouraging a steely performance from Best as Amy attempts to mollify a dangerous, unstable Rodney. The director never indulges the more gruesome and exploitative fodder of most serial-killer films, almost certainly by design; her intent is to ask why instead of how, fully understanding that the answer to that question may be disturbing (or baffling, especially in its psychology). Rodney Alcala got the death penalty for murdering seven women – officially, but unofficially he likely killed many more – and Woman of the Hour boldly asserts that the uniform gender of his victims was no coincidence.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Kendrick is an Oscar-nominated actress who, if Woman of the Hour is any indication, may just end up being an Oscar-nominated director too.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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