Based on Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel of the same name, The Housemaid is directed by Paul Feig, best known for such movies as A Simple Favor (2018), Another Simple Favor (2025) and Bridesmaids (2011).
So you can understand my disappointment that the movie did not quite hit.
As a psychological thriller, theoretically all the ingredients are there. There’s the down and out poor kid living out of her car in desperate need for a job (Sydney Sweeney), the rich wife with a seemingly perfect life but not really (Amanda Seyfried), and the hot husband who is hard done by, having to deal with his wife’s brand of crazy (Brandon Sklenar).
But the plot is (mostly) predictable. Any fan of the genre worth their salt can see the twists coming a mile away, aside from maybe 1 or 2 surprises that are probably the few things going for the film.
You will laugh at the absurdity of the situations, especially at the eventual retribution that the villain receives. However, I do wish Feig dialled up the camp another couple notches so that we don’t feel like we are laughing AT the movie and more WITH the movie. If only the humour were more intentional.
And of course no Sydney Sweeney movie would be complete without the gratuitous nudity. The sex scenes went on for way longer than necessary in my humble opinion (although see previous paragraph about the few things going for the movie).
While it is not the worst movie I’ve seen this year, I did come out of the movie feeling entertained – you’re probably better off reading the book.