At the moment driving the wave of literary IP at a time when Hollywood is determined for any semblance of built-in model recognition, Paul Feig’s “The Housemaid” arrives as a deliriously foolish romp that works finest while you cease interrogating each beat and easily let it pull you alongside. Primarily based on the bestselling novel by Freida McFadden and tailored for the display by Rebecca Sonnenshine, the movie is a glossy, twist-heavy psychological thriller that performs like a really (very) distant cousin to “Gone Lady.” And I imply that as a praise.
Feig, who hasn’t actually delivered something near a real hit since “A Easy Favor,” finds his footing right here by absolutely embracing the novel’s inherent camp. Sonnenshine’s screenplay neatly preserves the heightened tone of the supply materials whereas giving it the type of clear, propulsive construction that works on display. The result’s a knowingly over-the-top thriller that understands its personal wavelength and by no means pretends to be subtler than it’s.
The film is powered by a wildly unpredictable flip from Amanda Seyfried, who dominates almost each scene she’s in. Alongside her is Sydney Sweeney, who greater than holds her personal and at last lands a mainstream car submit–“Anybody However You,” that really feels worthy of her abilities. She ought to have put her awards-season muscle behind this as a substitute of “Christie.” No less than this one is aware of precisely what lane it’s working in.
“The Housemaid” wastes no time setting its wheels in movement. We’re launched to Millie (Sweeney), a younger girl determined for work and quietly dwelling out of her automobile. When she lands an interview with the rich Nina Winchester (Seyfried), who wants a live-in maid to handle family chores and shuttle her daughter to ballet, Millie jumps on the alternative. Nothing alarming on paper. Aside from the attic bed room. And the locks.
From Millie’s very first day, the home feels off. The place is in disarray, and whereas she instantly will get to work, the scenario solely grows extra unstable. Nina’s temperament swings wildly from heat, virtually clingy home bliss to one thing much more unstable, a shift made particularly jarring provided that simply the day earlier than she advised Millie, “I don’t know what I’d do with out you.” Are you sensing a sample right here?
Feig lays his narrative breadcrumbs generously, inviting viewers to play alongside even because the movie repeatedly nudges them towards apparent conclusions. When Nina’s tall, brooding, and suspiciously alluring husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) enters the body, the stress sharpens significantly. Sklenar brings a quiet, coiled presence to the function, taking part in Andrew as guarded and intentionally unreadable. His efficiency thrives on implication slightly than exposition, making each look and half-answered query really feel loaded. You’re by no means fairly positive if he’s trapped, complicit, or one thing far worse, and that ambiguity turns into one of many movie’s simplest instruments. If seems to be might kill, this dude would have it.
Subtlety nonetheless isn’t the film’s main concern. At one level, Nina snarls, “Keep the fuck away from my husband,” a line supply so blunt it virtually features as a story dare. From there, the movie settles right into a gleeful recreation of psychological rooster that performs on to the strengths of Seyfried and Sweeney, each of whom additionally function government producers.
Sweeney, specifically, locks into Millie’s frequency because the story progresses. Within the again half of the movie, she faucets into one thing colder and extra unnerving, revealing a layered efficiency that rewards persistence. Readers of the ebook will know precisely when the shift occurs. When it does, Sweeney handles it with confidence and management, proving she’s greater than able to carrying darker, extra twisted materials.
Nonetheless, the film in the end belongs to Seyfried. Free of the expectations of prestige-driven roles, she seems to relish each alternative to push Nina additional into instability. Coming off one thing as managed as “The Testomony of Ann Lee,” this flip is a bracing reminder of her versatility. She walks a razor-thin emotional tightrope, oscillating between allure, hysteria, and real vulnerability. You by no means fairly know the place her character stands, and that unpredictability is what fuels the movie’s chaotic momentum. Beneath the theatrics, Seyfried even permits moments of fragility to sneak by way of, complicating our response to her in surprisingly efficient methods.
“The Housemaid” is excessive camp executed with confidence. It’s the type of film that performs finest with an viewers prepared to lean in slightly than lean again. Logic is secondary to momentum, and restraint is deserted early on. Feig and Sonnenshine perceive precisely when to wink, when to escalate, and when to let the story tip absolutely into extra. In addition they know tips on how to exploit their lead stars and never be afraid to flaunt simply how scorching they’re.
Not each escalation lands, however the dedication behind every selection is simple. Anchored by three performances that absolutely perceive the project, “The Housemaid” stands out in a market crowded with half-hearted diversifications. At a second when Hollywood clings desperately to recognizable titles, this one succeeds by remembering one thing much more vital: in the event you’re going to ask us inside, you’d higher make the keep memorable. Messy. Unhinged. And really, very enjoyable.
Bear in mind when Hollywood used to make one in all each different week? A “Fundamental Intuition” right here, a “Deadly Attraction” there. I’m not saying “The Housemaid” belongs in that firm, however there’s a shared DNA, a sure lurid pleasure it’s clearly in dialog with. It’s slick, serviceable, and entertaining. And generally, that’s all you want.
THE HOUSEMAID opens in theaters Friday, December nineteenth