By TeeJay Small
| Published
Netflix subscribers may have already heard of the new true story thriller Woman of the Hour, which released on the streamer on October 18. Though the film is still quite fresh, it has already built up a ton of buzz online, and is currently listed at number 1 on the Netflix streaming charts. Critics and audiences alike have been heaping praise on Woman of the Hour with stellar reviews, making the film one of the most highly-rated outings of 2024.
For those who don’t know, Woman of the Hour centers on a woman named Sheryl Bradshaw, who attempts to launch her newfound career as a screen actor in the rough-and-tumble world of Hollywood in the late 1970s. Though she frequently fails to impress casting directors in auditions for works of fiction, Bradshaw’s agent convinces her to appear as a contestant on an episode of The Dating Game, in order to gain more exposure. Bradshaw reluctantly agrees and quickly sees herself asking leading questions to a panel of three male suitors, offering an all-expenses-paid date to the winner.
What neither Sheryl nor the producers of The Dating Game realized while filming the show, however, is that one of the male suitors on the panel is a violent serial killer with a number of sexual assault and child kidnapping convictions on his criminal record. This may be a minor spoiler for Woman of the Hour, but the serial killer, Rodney Alcala, actually won the real-life episode of The Dating Game upon which the film is based, before ramping up his streak of murders and assaults all over the country. While the film takes a few liberties with the true story, the broad strokes of Woman of the Hour are all absolutely true, making the film a complete heart-stopper.
Though Woman of the Hour is still fresh on streaming, the film originally premiered over a year ago at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie, which stars Anna Kendrick as Sheryl Bradshaw, also serves as the directorial debut of the Twilight actress. Anna Kendrick’s direction has been widely hailed by critics, audiences, and her own co-stars in the film, making her one of the most exciting new filmmakers to step behind the camera.
In addition to Anna Kendrick, Woman of the Hour also stars Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale, Nicolette Robinson, Autumn Best, and hilarious stand-up comedian Pete Holmes. Audiences everywhere have been responding well to the terrifying thriller, as evidenced by the film’s near-perfect 91 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Personally, I was quite drawn to the bizarre story of the film, as I had never heard of the serial killer Rodney Alcala prior to its release.
After watching the movie, I did a deep dive into Alcala’s life and his crimes and was absolutely nauseated by what I found. Woman of the Hour does an excellent job at painting the man as a monster without going overboard and displaying the sort of thing that would have the film labeled with an NC-17 rating and thrown off of any respectable streaming service. The film offers a viewing experience that highlights the women impacted by Alcala’s crimes, including one brave and ingenious young girl who managed to outsmart the violent psychopath.
Those interested in checking out Woman of the Hour today should stream the film on Netflix and keep an eye out for whatever Anna Kendrick does next, both as a performer and as a filmmaker.
WOMAN OF THE HOUR REVIEW SCORE