Anna Kendrick's Netflix directorial debut: A Hilarious Google Search Mix-Up!
Anna Kendrick's Movie Title Trouble: "Woman of the Hour" vs. "Woman of the House"!
Get this: Anna Kendrick, that super-talented actress, is now a director! Her Netflix directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, is coming out October 18th. But things got hilariously weird when Anna discovered how people are Googling her movie. It's all about this insane mix-up between Woman of the Hour and Woman of the House, leading Anna to joke that it feels like a "smear campaign" orchestrated by her friends who love to poke fun at how she never leaves the couch!
Based on the true story of Cheryl Bradshaw and her ill-fated Dating Game appearance (with serial killer Rodney Alcala) the cast features those major heavyweights such as Anna Kendrick in a starring role. The movie boasts additional well-known stars such as Daniel Zovatto, Nicolette Robinson, Tony Hale, Kathryn Gallagher, Pete Holmes, Kelley Jakle, and Jedidiah Goodacre; which makes this a hugely interesting prospect. And now this little internet quirk is generating plenty of chatter; adding additional buzz to the production. Let's dive into this bizarre situation!
The Google Search Debacle: "Woman of the House" vs. "Woman of the Hour"
During WIRED's "Autocomplete Interview," Anna found out many are Googling "Anna Kendrick Woman of the House." Her hilarious reaction is worth watching (and it is hilarious!), noting that her friends have clearly launched some inside jokes surrounding her preference for a very relaxed, "couch potato" life-style! That’s an amusing aside, of course!
She then says: “Okay, it’s fine, it’s fine. I’m not mad. Anna Kendrick, “Woman of the House” I am hoping that people mean Anna Kendrick, “Woman Of The Hour,” which is the film that I directed that will come out soon. This is fascinating. I guess, I confess that when we decided to call the movie “Woman of the Hour,” it was kind of a last minute change. You know, naming any movie after an idiom is a little risky. I did not anticipate people going, “Woman of the House.” That’s a phrase, right? “Woman of the house”? This feels slightly like a smear campaign from some of my friends because I don’t leave the house. I am the ultimate couch potato. So in a way, this feels like it’s kind of stepping on my neck.”
What Does This Mean For Kendrick’s Film?
Surprisingly, the misspellings might not damage Woman of the Hour that much. Searching "Anna Kendrick Woman of the House" still brings up the right movie! But searching only "Woman of the House" is an issue; this results in a totally different thing; various movies and TV series including that well-known 1995 sitcom, and the 2017 TV movie—both titled “Woman of the House!” This could be one of the explanations: the simple lack of awareness among those consumers of those shows could completely obfuscate those specific viewers trying to locate Kendrick’s recent release; the simple commonness of that kind of generic movie title makes it unclear and makes it extremely challenging to use only these general search terms.
Some confusion remains; a major reason might actually involve Netflix marketing: They probably need a stronger campaign to push the correct name! It doesn't help that there’s that incredibly similarly-titled Netflix show starring Kristen Bell, “The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.” Hopefully, launching the movie clarifies the name-confusion issue immediately, at the earliest opportunity following the actual release date itself.
Our Take: The Title Change, a Last-Minute Gamble!
Ian McDonald’s script? Initially called Rodney and Sheryl. The title was "The Dating Game" when it got sold at Cannes, as Kendrick says, they changed the name last-minute to Woman of the Hour! There’s certainly a big risk using an idiom— and those potential issues seem to be proving to have come to fruition: there is definitely name recognition; a problem which also means it makes the release title completely harder to distinguish from other productions, and creates challenges especially amongst those less familiar with either Kendrick or her own specific directorial projects.
Luckily however, it is still an amusing aside, one of those small challenges of production that does nothing to hamper Woman of the Hour's own specific potential value in itself; and while slightly problematic initially – many people can probably already find the movie by looking it up! Despite that mis-spelling issue it really shouldn’t have significant negative impact on the movie itself.
Conclusion: Get Ready for Anna Kendrick's Thrilling Directorial Debut!
That title mishap might be hilarious! But it's a reminder that the best Movies generate discussion from all avenues, and despite the unfortunate spelling errors online; and minor confusion online. It only added to those other details about those behind-the-scenes issues of development, hinting that production wasn't entirely smooth; these kinds of unexpected issues ultimately ended as a boon. This added hype could just be the thing that people remember, and it’s a conversation starter!
Get ready for Woman of the Hour! It explores a chilling true story; and promises another gripping entry in that ever-popular "true crime" genre. And yes, given Anna Kendrick’s talent and involvement as director; it certainly promises to be an engaging experience which we could expect many critics and viewers to totally love, after seeing what other reviewers have said, coupled with its underlying promise already presented, with further insight that is readily available once you just simply check on additional content from this movie and this upcoming release!
