Movie review
October 3, 2024 · 95 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Woman of the Hour is a 2024 Netflix crime thriller directed by and starring Anna Kendrick as aspiring actress Sheryl who encounters serial killer Rodney Alcala when they appear together on the 1970s Dating Game show. The story alternates between the game show and flashbacks to Alcala's crimes against women. It centers recurring themes of systemic misogyny and the normalization of sexism in society and the entertainment industry as factors enabling male violence against women.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Woman of the Hour.
Woke representation / casting
Casting aligns with historical figures and 1970s setting with no forced diversity or mismatches.
Woke political dialogue
Dialogue features recurring examples of casual misogyny challenged by female characters exposing male incompetence.
Identity-driven story themes
Core narrative centers on women's encounters with male predation and pervasive misogyny.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Film critiques patriarchal entertainment industry and society for normalizing sexism and enabling violence against women.
Woke character or canon changes
Fictionalized real events and characters to heighten misogyny themes and female agency.
Production
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Social media backlash labels it feminist and anti-male propaganda with complaints about preachiness and historical inaccuracies.
Creator track record context
Director and writer use framing around misogyny spectrum and toxic masculinity for this project.
