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Paul Feig… we need to have a chat. Bridesmaids was legendary, A Simple Favor was strong, Another Simple Favor was fun, but new movie The Housemaid? Where have things gone wrong?
The director’s outlandish comedic vision hasn’t been without its hiccups over the years, but I don’t think it sits in cohesion with The Housemaid. Adapted from the hit novel of the same name by Freida McFadden, the film follows enigmatic Millie (Sydney Sweeney) who has just taken a live-in nanny job at the wealthy Winchester’s house. While husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) seems like a breath of fresh air, off-the-rails Nina (Amanda Seyfriend) is much harder to manage.
How The Housemaid turned from an acclaimed mystery into a cinematic mess
As I’ve touched on, the biggest problem in The Housemaid is the story itself – or more specifically, how the original tale has been interpreted. The casting wildly contrasts with how characters are painted in the book (Millie is more demure and innocent than Sweeney’s version is, for example), and there’s a much bigger emphasis on shock factor.
In short, we lose the beautiful subtleties of an unfolding whodunnit in favor of big-impact twists and turns that don’t always pay off. If you’re not a fan of blood, you’ll need to bring a pillow to hide behind. By the time The Housemaid draws to a close, it rivals The Substance in terms of bloodshed and body horror, only in a much softer environment.
Largely, the movie hits the same beats as the novel, only there’s another problem even when it’s behaving. Scenes that should be serious and reflective become so farcical, you’re stifling giggles so the people you’re watching with don’t think you’re sociopathic.
While that isn’t going to please everyone, I was thrilled to loudly witch cackle at the most preposterous things. From dialogue (Sweeney has a 30-second monologue about a manky Troll doll that she delivers with all the sincerity of being on her metaphorical death bed) to physical movement (some of Andrew’s scenes are a unique laugh, let’s put it that way), there is something to inappropriately chuckle at every few minutes.
It almost becomes a game: can you and your friends try not to laugh first while Amanda Seyfried is hurling priceless plates around her kitchen?
The performances are standard for a mediocre movie, but entertainment value varies.
I’ve been an Amanda Seyfried truther since Mamma Mia!, and she’s consistently turned out dazzling performances across the two decades since. Frankly, she’s earned the right to have fun making a far-from-serious movie where she can be a pantomime villain.
If you think of The Housemaid like this, Seyfried does the least amount of damage. Brandon Sklenar, however, is in his acting element. In the last two years alone, we’ve seen him in equally questionable movies such as Drop and It Ends With Us, and he fleshes out morally bankrupt husband Andrew with next to no effort. The man knows the landscape, and he isn’t afraid to deliver genuinely terrible script with a completely deadpan expression.
I hate to say it, but Sweeney is the biggest problem I have with the cast. At no point do I buy her double-edged persona as a housemaid and stowaway criminal, and her romantic chemistry with Sklenar is non-existent. Where her natural style works in Euphoria and Anyone But You, it doesn’t here.
Millie is a character you could root for, but it’s frustrating work. In real-life, you’d have told Nina to stick her stupid housemaid job where the sun doesn’t shine, walk out of her minimalist mansion and maybe hit a few objets d’art over on the way. I know why Millie rides her unhealthy situation out, but she’s not making the best decisions.
If you’re choosing to watch The Housemaid this Christmas, let it be known that a) it’s not a Christmas movie, and b) it’s perhaps the most painful present you could give yourself. Stay for the unintentional laughs, but brace yourself for anything in between.
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jasmine.valentine@futurenet.com (Jasmine Valentine)
