35/49
Her name is actually spelled Sheryl, which was correct in the cast list
Narrative
Sheryl Bradshaw, a single woman looking for a suitor on a hit 1970s TV show, chooses charming bachelor Rodney Alcala, unaware that, behind the man's gentle facade, he hides a deadly secret.. Some of Sheryl's bad experiences as an aspiring actor mirror Anna Kendrick's own. The comment about Sheryl's breasts is "lifted verbatim from something that happened to me when I was 19".. Near the end of the film, her name is spelled Cheryl on one of narratives that reveal what happened after the film.
Ed: That signals the end of our game
Well, Cheryl, it’s time to make a decision!. Referenced in CTV News at Six Toronto: Episode dated 8 September 2023 (2023). This is actually a nicely made film, well shot and well acted but the story doesn't work for a narrative movie. The problem is sticking to certain true events for the movie.
That's sort of the issue with this film
The hook that a serial killer appeared on the Dating Game TV show is amazing, but that aspect has nothing to do with the apprehension of the serial killer. A completely different person and an actual victim was responsible for bringing him to justice. So putting the focus on the game show aspect and Anna Kendrick's character doesn't make a lot of sense. The emphasis is on the wrong person as the heroine as Anna's character did nothing other than come away with a lucky escape.
This aspect of the film is fictional apparently
There's a focus on an audience member whose story is distressing, but ultimately, that storyline leads to nothing. And too little time is spent on the woman who actually brought a killer's reign to an end. To make this work as a movie, they should've merged Anna's character's storyline with the storyline of the woman who was responsible for stopping the serial killer. That would've been blasphemy to do so but would've made for a more cohesive movie.At the end of the day, exploring Rodney Alacala's murder spree works better as a true crime documentary than a movie..
Check out our October calendar for more!
The final season of "What We Do in the Shadows" is one of the biggest TV and streaming premieres this month.