Cheryl Bradshaw sat in front of a large stage with cameras pointing at her from every direction. It was September 13, 1978, and she was on a show called “The Dating Game,” and as the bachelorette, she was to interview three bachelors hidden from her view on the other side of the room and then pick the one she wanted to date at the end of the show. In the end, she chose Bachelor #3 for his charming and witty responses. However, she soon felt uncomfortable in a conversation they had backstage. According to Bradshaw, she felt Alcala was “very strange” and “creepy” and a day later, she called the office of the show to announce that she had decided not to go on the date.
Bradshaw’s decision may have saved her life. The man that she had chosen was Rodney Alcala, a serial killer and rapist who had already committed several murders (all women) during the time he appeared on the show. He was not arrested until he murdered a 12-year-old girl the following year.
This story was the inspiration behind Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut “Woman of the Hour,” which focuses on Bradshaw’s experience with Alcala on “The Dating Show.” However, little is known about Bradshaw’s life, and she had already died by the time the film began production, so Kendrick decided to portray Bradshaw as a struggling actress trying to make ends meet who only accepted the offer to appear on the show due to her circumstances.
The film not only focuses on Bradshaw’s experiences regarding the dating show and Alcala, but includes two subplots as well. The first storyline is about Alcala luring women into his car and driving them to a desert to photograph them, before brutally raping and murdering them. The second is a woman named Laura who recognized Alcala as the man that her friend Alison had visited before she was raped and murdered. Laura desperately tries to report him to security. Though Laura herself is a fictional person, she represents all the people who had reported Alcala’s crimes in real life, but who weren’t taken seriously.
Overall, the film is spectacular. First of all, I really enjoyed the suspense used throughout the film. The film cleverly has Alcala question his victims about their lives before murdering them. For example, the woman in the very first scene of the movie (who is named Sarah in the credits) describes the hardships that she faced ever since she was abandoned by her family and ex-boyfriend. The audience is meant to feel sorry for her, and even though you know that she is probably about to die, you find yourself rooting for her to escape.
Secondly, the cast did a breathtaking job in their roles. Daniel Zovatto, who plays Alcala, did an excellent job in portraying Alcala’s manipulative nature. In the beginning, Zovatto acts friendly towards Sarah by asking about her life and acting understanding towards her. Seconds later, he instantly goes full savage mode (literally) by torturing and killing her. Nicolette Robinson, who plays Laura, gave a phenomenal performance in her scenes grieving her friend’s death and her guilt over letting her go with Alcala. Finally, Kendrick was excellent at displaying Bradshaw switching from being sassy and ecstatic during the show to showing her discomfort at being there during the commercial break as in the film.
However, the film is not without shortcomings. While I can understand that not much public information is known about Bradshaw, I wish Kendrick at least used the information we do know about her more accurately. The dating show scenes, and Bradshaw’s life in general, end up as a completely fictional representation of Bradshaw’s experience. The film used none of the lines from the original dating show, which I think is disappointing as the real show contained memorable dialogue which showcases Alcala’s charm which caused Bradshaw to choose him. For example, the real-life Bradshaw had asked Alcala what his favorite time of day was and he replied “Nighttime.” I wished that they had left that part in the film as Alcala’s response foreshadows his status as a serial killer, since nighttime would be the most ideal time of day for him to murder people.
Another issue I had were the costumes. Anna Kendrick’s attire in the film does not resemble what Bradshaw wore in real life at all. Whereas Bradshaw had curly hair and a periwinkle-colored dress, Kendrick’s hair was mostly straight with curly ends and her dress was purple with floral patterns. Besides Alcala, the bachelors were not wearing historically accurate attire as Bachelors #1 and #2 were wearing tan and blue suits in the film while they wore yellow and gray in real life. They did not even get the host’s suit right since he wore yellow in the film and gray in real life. While I understand that Kendrick wanted this film to be a fictionalized account of Bradshaw’s experience, it would be nice if she could get the most basic details correct.
While I love the film as a good, suspenseful one to watch, I also felt that they could have done a better job in respecting the actual historical event behind it. I would recommend watching this movie if you enjoy the horror genre, but for the history buffs, maybe this film should be tossed to the side.
