Movie Review: The Housemaid

By John Corrado

Director Paul Feig is probably best known for his comedy work like Bridesmaids, but dipped his toes into the thriller genre with his darkly comic 2018 mystery film A Simple Favor and its sequel Another Simple Favor, released earlier this year.

It’s this energy that Feig now brings to The Housemaid, his adaptation of Freida McFadden’s 2022 bestselling novel, which appears to be a new staple in the airport thriller genre. Adapted by screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine, Feig’s film embraces being a trashy erotic thriller, that is essentially a throwback to the types of films we would’ve gotten in the 1990s.

The story follows Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney), a young woman with a questionable past who is hired as a housemaid for the wealthy Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) and her husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar). Millie will live in their creepy attic guest room, and help look after their daughter Cecilia (Indiana Elle). But it soon becomes clear that all is not what it seems in the Winchester house, and everyone has secrets.

Nina’s mood swings are unpredictable, and Millie encounters various other red flags. The creepy groundskeeper (Michele Morrone) keeps staring in the window, Nina’s mother-in-law (Elizabeth Perkins) is an ice queen, and Cecilia is completely cold towards her and says odd things (“juice is a privilege,” the young girl tells Millie, before demanding a new glass because the one she just took out of the dishwasher is “dirty”).

I won’t say any more about the plot, because “no spoilers” has been baked into the advertising for the film, which is being sold as a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns. And this is mostly true. Even if The Housemaid follows some expected beats, there is an unpredictable quality to the film that makes it fun to watch, especially with an audience. Sure, it can strain credibility and our characters do some truly despicable things. But the trashiness of it is all part of the point.

The film does run a little long at 131 minutes. The first half in particular drags a bit, and Feig occasionally struggles to nail down the right tone, leading to some questions about how seriously we are supposed to be taking any of this. As a whole, the film is less outwardly satirical than his Simple Favor movies, but there is still a tongue-in-cheek aspect to it, as Feig brings an element of campiness that feels intentional (the less said about his “girlboss” Ghostbusters reboot, a movie with the most 2016 energy imaginable, the better).

It’s in the darker, more twisty (and twisted) second half when Feig is able to build more suspense and keep the audience invested. In a sense, Feig wants us playing along, trying to figure out what is really going on (and collectively cringing during the more extreme, violent moments). The last act has Feig fully leaning in to lurid domestic thriller territory, in a way that feels like a throwback to the likes of Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction.

A big part of why this material plays at all is because of the three leads, all talented (and photogenic) in their own rights. Sweeney is playing into the “who, me?” innocence of Millie, but hiding a more self-aware quality as she slinks about the house in revealing outfits under Andrew’s nose. Seyfried, an actress as gifted as she can be underrated, probably brings the most gravitas to the film with her performance as Nina, which includes portraying her character’s mental breakdowns. For his his part, Sklenar is playing a fun riff on the dreamy Hallmark Movie husband.

There can be an awkward feeling at times with how the film still wants us to root for certain characters, and the empowerment aspect of the story doesn’t entirely work. But, if The Housemaid is essentially pulp, it’s largely entertaining pulp. Feig is doing the whole trashy thriller thing reasonably well, and Seyfried in particular does a lot to elevate this material. It’s a mostly fun B-movie that is made to be seen with a crowd who are all along for the ride.