“Netflix’s Woman of the Hour Faces Backlash: What Are Fans Claiming They Didn’t Even Attempt?”
Well, well, well, if it isn’t Netflix’s latest gold star, Woman of the Hour, snagging the top spot and stirring up quite the pot of opinions! Who knew that a film about the charmingly sinister crossover of a serial killer and a classic dating game show could spark such fiery debate? Here we have Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut turning heads worldwide and dominating charts, but some viewers aren’t convinced it’s all smooth sailing. In fact, a wave of viewers is jumping on social media, expressing their disappointment that the film “didn’t even try” to give homage to the real styles of the 1970s. But hey, if people are going to complain about hairdos in a chilling narrative featuring real-life horror, you know it’s hitting some nerve. Is it unfair to nitpick a killer’s fashion choices alongside their unmatched horror, or is this just classic nerdy fan love? Dive into the drama and see what all the buzz is about. LEARN MORE.
Viewers have slammed Netflix’s newest number one film, Woman of the Hour, for ‘not even trying’ regarding one major aspect of the story.
This represents a bit of a switch up as many have been singing the praises of the film.
Top of the charts in the UK and seventh on the streamer around the world, Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, in which she also stars, has been a massive success for Netflix.
The film focuses on infamous serial killer Rodney Alcala’s appearance on the show The Dating Game.
He appeared on the show and won a date with the contestant Cheryl Bradshaw but was secretly a prolific serial killer who had previously served jail time for child molestation.
Alcala was later sentenced to death for the murder of a 12-year-old girl, was found guilty of a further seven, and is thought to have killed over 100.
Thankfully, Bradshaw never went on a date with Alcala.
Several aspects of the film have been ripped straight from real life, earning the movie considerable praise.
One specific aspect that was noticed though is the attempts to replicate what the real-life people, and indeed the set of the show, looked like.
A fan posted on Twitter saying: “I get it, 1970s hairstyles were horrifying, but come on.
“If you’re going to make a film about something that really happened, and we actually have the tv footage of… how can you fail to get the look right?
“Did they even try?”
Some fans thought producers could have done more (X/Netflix/ABC)
An accompanying picture compares Kendrick in the film with the real life Cheryl Bradshaw, and the difference is stark.
A follow up series of tweets pointed to the presentation of Rodney Alcala, the presenter, and even the set, and said that they hadn’t done enough to try and replicate the real life set and people.
Regarding Alcala they said: “Fascinating topic though, about that time when serial killer Rodney Alcala was on ‘The Dating Game’ in ’78.
“But they also didn’t get that creep’s hair right. The just went with generic hippie while big hair was all the rage back then.”
Rodney Alcala in Woman of the Hour vs real life (Netflix / ABC)
They finished off by saying regarding the set: “Did they even bother? I just don’t get it, the original broadcast is all over YouTube, anyone can look it up, it’s easy to get all the details just right… or to see that someone failed to do so.”
One fan hit back, however, saying: “Maybe the fact that it’s on YouTube actually made them decide not to copy it but on the contrary create their own, parallel universe version?
“For the sake of not reducing the discussion of their work to did or did they not get any specific detail right.”
Another simply asked: “Did you really make a thread complaining about hair?”
The original poster responded stating that they are a historian and ‘former tv/film set dresser’.
Woman of the Hour is on Netflix now.
