Anna Kendrick's new movie "Woman of the Hour" takes on the true story of the teacher who went on "The Dating Game" to find romance and her winning suitor turned out to be a murderer.

What "Woman of the Hour" is going for isn’t some ultimate period-piece authenticity. It’s trying to deconstruct television, along with the male aggression that can descend into violence, and to show you how they work together.

Anna McKibbin of the AV Club gives Woman of the Hour a B, calling the director’s debut effort “ambitious,” as she’s not satisfied to simply gesture toward the magnitude of misogyny. In McKibbin’s words:

The main reason for that is Anna Kendrick, who makes a formidable, clear-eyed directorial debut in addition to playing Bradshaw. Using plenty of her own career experiences, Kendrick presents Bradshaw’s story as a grimly common one of pervasive,

"The Dating Game" seemed like a cute way to connect the sexes, until serial killer Rodney Alcala won, as seen in the Netflix film "Woman of the Hour."

That simply cannot be true” is the reaction many will have to the narrative centerpiece of Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, “Woman of the Hour.” And yet: On a 1978 episode of “The Dating Game,” one of the “eligible bachelors” was a serial killer in the midst of a murder spree.

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut is here and she’s not playing any games. Based on the true story of murderer Rodney Alcala, Woman of the Hour, which hit Netflix on Friday, October 18, explores the notorious serial killer and sex offender who found his next potential victim on national TV while appearing on a 1978 episode of The Dating Game.

You never know who you might meet on a dating show -- but you might just know some of the faces in "Woman of the Hour."

How accurate is Netflix's "Women of the Hour"? The true story of Cheryl Bradshaw and Rodney Alcala, the serial killer she chose on "The Dating Game."

True crime collides with showbiz comedy. Review of Anna Kendrick's directorial debut, "Woman of the Hour," which she also stars in.