‘The Housemaid’ Review: Campy Thrills Held Together by Amanda Seyfried

The Housemaid, based on a book by Frieda McFadden, is a wild, campy ride. The film follows Millie, played by Sydney Sweeney, an ex-con looking for a better life. To get out of living in her car, she takes a job as a housemaid for the idyllic, too good to be true Winchester family. Slowly Millie realizes that everything is not as polished as it seems and secrets lie behind every corner. The film is directed by Paul Feig, best known for Bridesmaids and A Simple Favor, and stars Sweeney, along with two excellent performances by Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar. Read our full The Housemaid review below. 

I actually was pleasantly surprised by the story of The Housemaid. The only comments I had heard about the book was that it was full of twists and a little crazy. Silly of me to neglect that a book could not get so popular without interesting themes bubbling under the surface. I have not read the book, but what I got from the film was a subtle examination of societal standards of women’s role in the household and witty conversation about how society is quick to call a woman crazy while deifying a man. Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves, this movie is not the sharpest portrayal of these ideas, but as someone who was walking in expecting a popcorn thriller I was pleasantly surprised. Despite The Housemaid being fun, silly at times, and twist heavy, this is not a movie to turn your brain off to. There is a lot there, though it is not given the attention or nuance it deserves, it is still interesting enough to make for a compelling watch. 

The main problem with The Housemaid is the single fact that when Amanda Seyfried is not on screen the film is almost unwatchable. She is carrying the entire film on her shoulders, actually giving a pretty compelling, campy, and endlessly watchable performance. It is clear she is actually putting a lot of effort into her performance and it pays off enormously. I would recommend the movie solely on everyone needing to see her performance, because it is just too committed and fun to miss out on. I will also hand Brandon Sklenar his flowers. Though he is not as perfect as Seyfried, his performance as the seemingly innocent Andrew was actually quite surprising. It was exactly the right amount of charming, but the corrosion of pure evil in his character came through in spurts making his inevitable descent into insanity feel earned. 

Sydney Sweeney is the real issue. You really never know what you will get from Sweeney. Some performances, like in Reality and Euphoria, she is truly exceptional, but then sometimes she does not even seem like she wants to be there. There is a lack of commitment or care that comes through in her performance in The Housemaid that is simply just disappointing. It is not the screenplay or the direction, because the other actors seem to not have a problem, it is her. She was only good in the moments where she had to yell, but whenever she had to do basic conversational acting she was stiff and uninteresting to watch. The film would have benefited from a stronger lead, who had the same level of star power as Amanda Seyfried to keep the story consistently interesting. I was still able to have a great time in the theater, but what could have been a campy classic is held back by a mediocre lead performance and predictability. 

The Housemaid is directed by Paul Feig and stars Amanda Seyfried, Sydney Sweeney, and Brandon Sklenar. The film was released on December 19. 

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