The Housemaid review: Brace yourselves for a wild ride
I’m not a particularly fast reader, but I tore through Freida McFadden‘s novel, The Housemaid, in no time because I couldn’t get enough of the wild twists and turns. So I knew that Paul Feig‘s film adaptation would be a wild experience, and I was not disappointed.
The film stars Sydney Sweeney as the titular housemaid Millie, who is hired by Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) to look after her home and her daughter Cecelia (Indiana Elle) and live there full-time. Nina is all over the place emotionally, with outsized mood swings, and makes Millie’s life difficult, pushing her closer to Nina’s husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar). But none of these three are who they seem to be – and you’ll have to watch the film to find out more.
I’m actually a bit annoyed that I read the book first because it meant that I knew the reveals all along and didn’t get to experience them for the first time with most of the audience. Thankfully though, there are some surprises in store for readers as well, as the final act diverges from the book significantly, so we get to enjoy some unexpected turns too. This is a great film to see with a crowd because hearing other people’s audible reactions is very entertaining. The gasps, the laughs and the cheers make it such a fun communal experience.
The film is very loyal to the book for the majority of the runtime, with some minor tweaks here and there, such as Millie’s room being much bigger, Cecelia being less of a spoiled brat and gardener Enzo (Michele Morrone) having barely anything to do. Screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine takes many more liberties after the game-changing perspective shift, before going off-piste and doing something totally new in the final act. While I enjoyed the book immensely, I understand why these decisions were made – they’re more visual, cinematic and visceral. It actually becomes a horror towards the end and viewers should be prepared for blood, violence and some light Saw vibes.
I have been an Amanda Seyfried fan from day one and she has never let me down. I know the film is called The Housemaid, but this is her movie. She is perfect for Nina and seems to be having the time of her life playing a character who is playing a character. The performance is big, unhinged and a delight to behold, and her absence is felt whenever she’s off-screen. I wish the film matched her level of camp, but it holds back from going there fully.
Sweeney really comes into her own in the final act when her character’s true nature is finally revealed. She is actually pretty funny, in a super dark way. I didn’t buy Millie’s attraction to Andrew but that’s more of a script or editing issue – the film doesn’t allow time to build that sexual tension like it does in the book. This could also be down to Sklenar, who was the weakest link of the three. He’s not bad, but I felt like he could have done more and dialled his performance up a notch to match what his co-stars were doing.
I knew The Housemaid would be in a safe pair of hands when I read that Feig was at the helm as he knows his way around a twisty-turny thriller like A Simple Favour. It’s not perfect by any means – the script is cringe at times and the narration comes and goes – but it’s a crazy movie that gets pretty silly and unexpectedly funny in the final act. You won’t want to miss it in the cinema.
In cinemas on Boxing Day (26th December)
Check out the differences between the film and the book here