Une femme en jeu

Short: This story shows promise but ultimately falls short due to a lack of crucial details that could have elevated it to greatness. The narrative includes numerous anecdotes, but they feel disconnected, leaving the plot disjointed. The film abruptly concludes, leaving many questions unanswered and the audience unsatisfied. Overall, it comes across as a low-budget effort that fails to fully develop its potential.

Long: Women of the Hour is a psychological thriller inspired by the true story of Rodney Alcala, the infamous "Dating Game Killer." Set in the late 1970s, the film explores the chilling intersection of entertainment and crime as Alcala appears as a contestant on a popular dating show while actively committing heinous murders.

The story is ambitious, delving into themes of manipulation, the public's fascination with spectacle, and the danger of appearances. However, the execution leaves much to be desired. While the movie attempts to blend dark humor with a critique of the era's obsession with celebrity culture, the fragmented storytelling undermines its impact. Anecdotes from Alcala's life are presented, but they feel scattered and fail to create a cohesive narrative. As a result, the film struggles to maintain tension or provide a deeper understanding of its characters.

The abrupt ending compounds these issues, leaving key questions unanswered and robbing the story of a satisfying resolution. The lack of connective tissue between events gives the impression of a rushed, underdeveloped script, despite its intriguing premise. Furthermore, the film's low-budget production values are evident, detracting from its potential impact.

While Women of the Hour has an interesting concept and moments of potential, it ultimately falls short of being the gripping thriller it aims to be. With more detailed storytelling and stronger character development, it could have been a standout piece.

This film does a good job of revealing the ways psychopaths often use charm to lure their victims. I appreciate the fact that the film is by no means a typical horror film or a typical psychological thriller. Most of the violent acts in this film are only portrayed via the events leading up to them (or after them), and so much of the actual violence is indirectly portrayed rather than actually being shown. It keeps things light enough -- and doesn't show enough actual violence -- in order for the film to remain watchable but at the same time, it is often very unsettling and disturbing. The scene in the parking lot after the taping of the Dating Game really perfectly conveyed the same feeling that the character played by Anna would be feeling at the time. It's as though I could literally feel her own fear and uneasiness. I think Anna's acting and directing in this film were superb, as was all of the acting in general. What I appreciate most about this film is its underlying message(s) or themes regarding how women can so easily fall prey to the darker side of the male ego and how manipulative some men can be when it comes to women, such as exploiting the innocence or vulnerability of women for their own selfish gain. I also appreciate how it shoes that society in general (and especially back then) actually encourages and often condones this kind of treatment toward women -- dehumanizing and objectifying them. And as the film shows, even intelligent women are susceptible to the charm of the psychopath -- and society alone can render them vulnerable. This message was not only delivered via the behavior and violence of "Rodney" but also via the behavior of a few other male characters in the film. Anyone hoping for a typical serial killer film is going to be disappointed with this one. But anyone hoping for something with more underlying depth will hopefully appreciate it.

I ended up being really frustrated watching this given the fact that I thought it had a really good hook. In the end the whole thing just ends up feeling like a series of short films only a couple of which I found to be engaging and when put together into one film it just ends up feeling repetitive. That's not to say it isn't effective, it is absolutely appropriately brutal its depiction of violence towards women but also in how it portrays the sexism of the 70's. The main thing that intrigued me about this movie was the idea of the game show portion and that ended feeling really undercooked and in the overall narrative it didn't ultimately amount to much. There are very effective sequences and it's very handsomely shot but it's so uneven that I couldn't help but feel disappointed in the final product.

This film is a highly dramatized, poorly paced retelling of true events. While I did enjoy how the movie handled sexism and violence towards women, and while there were several really effective sequences, the overall product just falls kind of flat.

The movie bounces around between Alcala with various victims, Sheryl on the dating show, and Sheryl in her personal life. The movie can't seem to decide if it wants to focus on Sheryl, the dating show filming, or Alcala. Although it's a neat factoid that Alcala was on a dating show, that really doesn't work for the crux of an entire film unless you're going to have people's lungs exploding and heads spinning a la Late Night with the Devil.

Not a bad movie but wouldn't necessarily recommend it either.

Sheryl (Anna Kendrick) is a struggling actress in Hollywood in the 1970's. Ready to give up and move back home, her agent books her on The Dating Game, where she can pick from 3 bachelors to go on a date. Among the gentlemen suitors to be is Rodney (Daniel Zovatto), a serial rapist and killer, who wants Sheryl to be the 'Woman of the Hour'.

The film is decently acted and shot; reminiscent of the '70's, where everything is a hue of brown and orange. The fault is the script. Most of the film revolves around Sheryl, but the other various crimes that Rodney commits are far more interesting. The climax of the film is lackluster and may leave the viewer less than satisfied.

Might be worth a watch. Don't expect much.