REVIEW: “The Housemaid” (2025)

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Paul Feig’s “The Housemaid,” starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, begins as a playfully nostalgic thriller, but unfortunately loses its way in the last part of the movie. Despite having a strong cast and a familiar, generally well-received genre setup, the film ultimately relies on tired and predictable tropes, squandering all the enjoyable momentum it built up. The ending feels repetitive and lacks originality.

“The Housemaid” movie closely follows Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel, which means it doesn’t offer much in the way of surprises if you’re looking for something new. While it’s not a bad film, it’s more frustrating than satisfying to see a potentially great story play out so predictably.

The film introduces Millie Calloway, played by Sweeney, as she arrives at a grand estate in Great Neck, New York. She’s there to interview for a live-in housekeeper position with Nina Winchester (Seyfried), a wealthy woman and mother. This job is crucial for Millie, though she’s not being entirely truthful about her past. The audience soon learns Millie has recently been released from prison after serving ten years of a fifteen-year sentence for a crime that will be revealed later, and she needs this steady employment to fulfill the terms of her parole.

I was immediately drawn into Millie’s situation – she lands a job and quickly moves into this tiny, quirky A-frame room at the Winchester’s place. It’s not much, but honestly, it’s a huge step up from living out of her car! We also meet Nina’s adorable daughter, Cece, and her husband, Andrew – he’s quite handsome, I must say. At first, it seems like the perfect arrangement for Millie: she’d be cleaning, organizing, doing a little cooking, and helping with Cece, all in exchange for a place to live, a good salary, and a genuinely nice family. It really felt like things were looking up for her.

Millie’s situation quickly becomes difficult. It begins with Nina’s unpredictable outbursts and quickly escalates to Millie being unfairly blamed for things she didn’t do. Nina even starts trying to make Millie look bad on purpose. Normally, Millie would have left immediately, but she needs this job to avoid going to prison. Luckily, she finds support in Andrew, who is always kind and encouraging, offering reassurance with his warm smile and gentle demeanor.

The show quickly builds tension, and then surprisingly flips the story. Amanda Seyfried convincingly portrays a character losing control, and Laura Sweeney earns both our compassion and distrust. However, the acting isn’t flawless, as the script itself has flaws. It cleverly drives the characters to their limits, but then disappoints with a predictable and uninspired twist that feels forced and tries too hard to be timely.

Okay, so “The Housemaid” really lost me with that big twist – it was totally predictable and just deflated everything that was working before. It completely ruined the potential for a wild, over-the-top finale. Honestly, even without that twist, the last 20 minutes felt really messy. It was full of stuff that didn’t make sense, a way-too-long flashback trying to explain everything, and a final scene that just left me thinking, ‘Really?!’ But by then, I think the movie had already lost its way. The twist just sealed the deal.

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2025-12-20 18:57