The Housemaid

Director: Paul Feig

After the success of the “A Simple Favor” films, Paul Feig returns to the world of psychological thriller with, The Housemaid. Millie (Sydney Sweeney) is looking for a new chance and it comes when she gets the opportunity to become the live-in housemaid for Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) and her family, daughter CeCe (Indiana Elle) and her loving husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar). What, at first, seems the perfect job, soon starts to unravel, as the perfect veneer is peeled away to reveal a dark underbelly, where peoples pasts collide to become present day threats.

I do enjoy a Paul Feig thriller, and The Housemaid is no exception. The film revisits much of what worked in Feig’s A Simple Favor films. Two women, a doting husband caught in the middle, an undercurrent of something very wrong and hidden pasts, that are anything but in the past. All delivering and entertaining and smart thriller.

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney are both in fine form. Seyfried, in particular, as she flicks effortlessly from perfect wife to the seemingly unhinged and dangerous. Both are well supported by Sklenar’s perfect husband and Elizabeth Perkins, who shows up with a brief cameo as Andrew’s dominating mother.

The plot suitably twists and turns and keeps you guessing as it peels back the layers to reveal the dark secrets underneath. All leading to a wild final act where the reality of everyone’s past collides to deliver a tense and satisfying finale and a clever ending that sets up a sequel if anyone wants it.

It’s not perfect and probably runs a little long, spending perhaps too much time re-telling some of the story through a new lens. But overall, it is a smart and enjoyable thriller.

The Housemaid, while not perfect, is a smart and enjoyable thriller. If you enjoyed Feig’s A Simple Favor, you’ll find plenty here to enjoy. Sydney Sweeney and Seyfried are in fine form, delivering compelling performances and the story twists, turns, keeping you guessing until it reaches its wild and satisfying climax.