The Housemaid thriller out of season

January 1 brought an unexpected release, a dark psychological thriller The Housemaid, based on Frieda McFadden’s 2022 bestseller. No festive mood, no holiday cheer just tension, desire, and danger. So what really happens when two Hollywood blondes, Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, collide on screen? Let’s break it down.

The desperate maid and the perfect Winchester family

Millie, a young woman with a dark past, sleeps in her car. Nina Winchester, a gorgeous blonde, exudes warmth and wealth, turning her life into something that looks utterly fabulous.

She has a daughter, Cecilia, and a husband, Andrew – a muscular Men’s Health hunk who strolls around the house in a spotless white T-shirt, enough to shame even a hungover John McClane.

It feels like pure luck when Millie lands a job with this family as their live-in maid. She kills several birds with one stone: a steady income, a comfortable place to live, and no questions from the police. If only the unfortunate woman knew what a trap she was walking into.

From Beach Read to Tabloid Thriller

Director Paul Feig has strayed significantly from the original novel The Housemaid – light beach reading. The filmmakers have indeed made changes; for example, the book does not have the final battle that is in the film.

The film adaptation, on the other hand, is overflowing with cheap tabloid sensationalism, which practically oozes from every pore.

Overall, this is not about complex gray morality, because in the end, good and evil are as obvious here as the difference between day and night.

Rather, it is about a modified version of Fifty Shades of Grey, diluted with hints of the cunning Gone Girl (2014). Although in terms of quality, Fincher’s hit and Fig’s new release are like night and day.

In the local world order, the game almost always goes one way, which reduces the narrative to primitive one-sidedness. Moreover, the latter manifests itself everywhere Millie goes. By the end of the film, one gets the impression that she literally attracts bad people around her, let’s not get specific, and it’s as if it’s her superhero ability.

The message about domestic violence and class inequality fades into the background amid certain illogicalities and the overall unpretentiousness of what is happening on screen. The actors are pleasant to watch, but only Saifred really stands out.

Performances: One Clear Winner

The Euphoria star fades into the background next to her older colleague Amanda Seyfried, who delivers a pitch-perfect portrait of concentrated madness and emerges as the film’s true highlight.

Brandon Sklenar mostly stays within the confines of his role as attractive furniture with a million-dollar smile. And the silent gardener played by Michele Morrone is not even worth mentioning.

Final Verdict “The Housemaid“

Despite its glossy surface and recognizable cast, the film never rises above the level of a routine genre exercise. It offers momentary intrigue but lacks depth, tension, and originality, leaving the impression of a thriller that plays it safe and fades quickly once the credits roll.

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