Paul Feig’s directorial filmography has a unique mix of comedies considered some of the best of the century with Bridesmaids and Spy, and then flops like Ghostbusters (2016), Last Christmas and The School for Good and Evil, and then something like A Simple Favour, which is not only the darkest, but I consider playing to his strengths. A Simple Favour draws the most similar comparisons to his latest film The Housemaid, a film adapted from the book of the same name.
The Housemaid follows Millie (Sydney Sweeney), a woman who is in desperate need of a job, while she is currently living in her car. She applies to be a live-in housemaid for a wealthy family. It’s quickly apparent that the wife, Nina (Amanda Seyfried), is unstable, and makes Millie’s life hell, before secrets in the family are darker than she released.
The trailers for this film really struggled to sell this film, making it seem like a fairly generic mystery thriller with a crazy wife, understandably the film was doing everything it could to hide the twists and turns the story takes along the way. I’m really impressed that, not only that the film wasn’t spoiled already from early screenings, but especially by people who’d read the book in advance. And the twists, you don’t see coming at all, and are actually very cleverly done, and make the film a worthwhile watch, and separate it from being the generic film you’re sold.
The cast do a decent job. Amanda Seyfried is the stand-out for me. In a year where she’s got some Oscar buzz for her performance in The Testament of Ann Lee, she delivers an unhinged performance as the crazy wife, as he story unfolds throughout the film. It’s the sort of film, where you wonder on a reach watch if there’s little parts you notice, now you know the full story.
Sydney Sweeney has had a very controversial year to say the least. On an acting front however, she received acclaim for her performance in Christy, and was also getting some early Oscar Buzz, which quickly died off after the film became one of the biggest box office flops of the year. I think people forget how talented she actually is. She has 2 Emmy nominations to her name for roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus, so certainly can deliver. That being said, she is good in this film, but there isn’t a whole lot of depth to her character comparatively to Amanda Seyfriend’s, which isn’t any fault of her own.
Brandon Sklenar’s star has slowly been on the rise, and he’s a decent actor who got his big break in Yellowstone origin series, 1923 alongside legendary actors Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. I haven’t watched the series, but I’ve seen him pop up in a few films over the last few years, and never felt like he offered too much, but I actually think here there’s a few more subtleties to his performance, and would say it’s the best I’ve seen of him, and I’m starting to see why some people consider him a contender to play Batman in the DCU.
Overall, The Housemaid is a really good, entertaining thriller which keeps you on the edge of your seat. Perhaps, a smidge too long, coming in at nearly 2 and a quarter hours, but is certainly one of the more entertaining films of the year, and keeps it ahead of the generic formula, that we’ve seen so often in this genre, with interesting and unique twists along the way.
Also shout-out to Michele Morrone for getting a paycheck for doing almost nothing in this film, I’m not even sure he gets a line of dialogue.
What did you think of The Housemaid?
This is my final review of the year, however coming up over the next few days I have both a Top 10 films of the year list, as well as my Top 10 Anticipated films of 2026, so to be sure not to miss those follow me on Facebook, Instagram and X at @floodersfilms or press the buttons below!
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