WOMAN OF THE HOUR is Anna Kendrick’s directing debut in an inspired true movie that deals with misogyny and the popular “Dating Game” from fifty years ago. Kendrick had double duty in this film, portraying the leading character. It was a short trip back through memory lane (ninety minutes) when women were treated not as equals but as objects that needed to be controlled and put in their place. This is an important story even today since gender equality still has a long way to go before acceptance can be achieved.
WOMAN OF THE HOUR is not an easy watch. Daniel Zovato as Rodney was flat-out creepy. His deadpan, powerful characterization made the hairs on my neck stand up. I had forgotten how gullible women could be back in the day, and this just made Rodney even yuckier. His intense stares that never seemed to stop were foreboding and controlling. His physicality freaked me out. He was simply perfect in a very chilling way. Kendrick and Autumn Best, as Amy, needed to listen to their screaming guts.
The film felt, at times, like a documentary. The plot was more reenactment-driven. It needed additional scenes to fill in the holes. This would have made WOMAN OF THE HOUR more of a feature narrative. It just seemed too choppy at times. I wanted more from the DATING GAME sequences. Those seconds put everything into perspective about how a woman wants to be treated and the correct answer to the “question beneath the question.”
WOMAN OF THE HOUR is streaming on NETFLIX.