Woman of the Hour Review: A Stylish but Flawed 2024 Directorial Debut from Anna Kendrick

   October 20, 2024
Woman of the Hour, Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, 2024
Woman of the Hour (2024), streaming on Netflix

Woman of the Hour (2024) Review

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour is a taut genre piece with a few thrilling plot threads that pull you along. It’s one of the better releases in 2024 under the Netflix brand. And although I prefer my serial killer movies to have a lot less style and window dressing than this, the 1970s aesthetic doesn’t entirely suffocate the story that the movie is trying to tell. Kendrick stars with a worthy leading performance, while Daniel Zovatto is eerily effective as the big bad opposite her.

Woman of the Hour tells the strange, true story of Rodney Alcala’s spree of murders in the 1970s, coinciding with his one night appearance on the game show “The Dating Show.” Alcala (played by Zovatto) is a smooth talker, able to draw girls into his world filled with violence and rage. Zovatto has enough charisma to sell his ability to con his victims, while showing a seedy dark side that explores just how tormented he is.

Alcala appears on “The Dating Show,” where he attempts to win a date with that week’s surprise lady. That lady is Sheryl Bradshaw, an aspiring (albeit struggling) actress attempting to find measly work to pay her bills. Bradshaw is played by Kendrick, who gets to display her comedic and dramatic abilities in equal doses. She’s best while she’s on the show, with her quips and speedy line delivery standing out as one of the best aspects of the film. Woman of the Hour finds the best rhythm during these moments.

The tone is messy, struggling to find a balance between the lighter moments while playing “The Dating Game” and the tense, darker moments when it recaps a few of the murders committed by Alcala. The end of the film, which shows how Alcala was caught, happens abruptly. This section of the film is teased throughout, but never really announces where it takes place in the timeline. You assume it’s happening prior to the main storyline, but it’s revealed to be Alcala’s downfall. It’s quite a muddied turn of events, and results in a botched third act that didn’t work for me.

Woman of the Hour has a handful of flaws that keeps me from really digging it. It is a bit too showy at times, relying on the old school set design and throwback vibes, but Kendrick proves she can direct a story with a few noteworthy, thrilling set pieces and pull good performances from her actors (outside of just herself as the lead). I’m dubious of the film’s staying power outside of its own release window, but it should allow Kendrick to branch out and make a film more ambitious moving forward.

Score: 5/10

  • Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
  • Runtime: 94 minutes
  • Rated: R
  • Release Date: October 18, 2024
  • Read about Woman of the Hour (2024) on Wikipedia and IMDb

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Film Summary for Woman of the Hour (2024)

Woman of the Hour tells the stranger-than-fiction story of an aspiring actor in 1970s Los Angeles and a serial killer in the midst of a years-long murder spree, whose lives intersect when they’re cast on an episode of The Dating Game.

Cast of Woman of the Hour (2024)

The cast of Woman of the Hour (2024) includes Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale, Nicolette Robinson, Autumn Best and Pete Holmes.

Who Directed Woman of the Hour?

Woman of the Hour (2024) was directed by Anna Kendrick.

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