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As a huge fan of the book, the movie didn't disappoint me at all! The character portrayals were spot on. Especially Seyfrieds performance as Nina, hand her that Oscar already!!!

I still prefer the book. But the movie actually lived up to my expectations & maybe even more!

I think I actually prefer the ending of the movie over the ending of the book!

Greetings again from the darkness. Director Paul Feig hit it big with the outrageous comedy BRIDESMAIDS in 2011, and then he got a lot more interesting as a filmmaker by directing screen adaptations of Darcey Bell novels that were so popular with Book Clubs - A SIMPLE FAVOR (2018) and ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR (2025). There's no need to mess with a good thing, right? This time he's directing another Book Club favorite, Frieda McFadden's 2022 novel. Adapted for the screen by Rebecca Sonnenshine, the movie subjects three gorgeous actors to some off-the-chart twisted and devious turns.

Sydney Sweeney stars as Millie, a young parolee who we see arrive at a stunning mansion (fabricated resume in hand) to interview for a live-in housemaid position. Amanda Seyfried is Nina, the lady of the house, and she has prepared a lovely charcuterie board for the interview before taking Millie on a tour of the place ... including the attic room where Millie will be living as she cleans the house, does some light cooking, and sometimes cares for ice-cold young daughter, Cece (Indiana Elle). Millie sleeps in her car until the phone rings with Nina's job offer.

Now, Nina was the dreamboat perfect host and potential employer during the first meeting, but upon Millie's arrival, her temperament has shifted - full bore psychotic mood shifts, replete with throwing dishes, screaming, and false accusations. Of course, Millie must take the abuse and uncertainty or face serving out the rest of her prison sentence - the details come out much later in the film. Still, Millie might just crack if not for the calm, supportive nature of Nina's rich male model-type husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar, MIDWAY, 2019).

Common sense would tell you that the crazy wife vs the desperate housemaid would be enough for a wild story, but oh, how wrong you would be. Things only get crazier from here, and if we've learned one thing sitting through bizarre movies, it's that the best way to execute a preposterous and outlandish story line is to play it (mostly) straight. And that's what we get here. Of course, many of the twists and turns are easy to predict, but that doesn't cut down on the demented fun - even though it jumps the shark a bit.

It's a fun, wild ride - despite the gaps and the unfortunate lack of substance for supporting characters like Elizabeth Perkins as Andrew's mother, and Michele Morrone as Enzo the groundskeeper. More from either character would have been welcome, although the real star here is Amanda Seyfried who shows incredible range, and never once backs away from the psycho side. I haven't read the book, but for those who have, this film version is more spicy than erotic (save for one hotel scene), and it easily qualifies as a guilty pleasure - especially for those book clubs out there.

Opens in theaters beginning December 19, 2025.

The Housemaid arrives with a curious mix of expectations and skepticism. Sydney Sweeney's recent box office outings haven't exactly set the world on fire, and opening opposite the latest Avatar installment doesn't do the film any favors commercially. Going in, expectations are understandably tempered. But surprisingly, The Housemaid doesn't take long to find its footing and when it does, it leans hard into its psychological thrills.

The real engine of the film is Amanda Seyfried, who delivers a chillingly unhinged performance as Nina Winchester, a wealthy housewife whose polished exterior begins to fracture almost immediately. Seyfried plays Nina with a simmering instability... her smiles linger too long, her outbursts hit without warning, and her behavior steadily escalates from eccentric to outright disturbing. It's one of those performances where you're constantly bracing for the next emotional whiplash.

Sydney Sweeney stars as Millie Calloway, a young woman with a troubled past who takes a live-in housekeeping job out of sheer necessity. Millie is observant, cautious, and quietly unsettled by Nina's erratic behavior, but her fragile position in life makes walking away impossible. Sweeney's performance is restrained, sometimes almost too much so, but that muted quality works early on as Millie tries to survive rather than confront what's happening around her.

As expected, Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar) enters the equation, and the film follows a familiar erotic-thriller path: lingering looks, late-night drinks, and one bad decision that sends Nina spiraling. At this point, The Housemaid feels like it's heading toward a predictable third-act meltdown.

That's where the film earns its credit.

Instead of saving its biggest twist for the finale, The Housemaid flips the script near the end of the second act, shifting the narrative focus squarely onto Millie. From that moment on, the film becomes something darker and far more interesting. The power dynamics change, motivations are recontextualized, and Millie's character steps fully into the spotlight.

While this isn't Sydney Sweeney's strongest individual performance, her chemistry with Brandon Sklenar is what ultimately elevates the film. Together, they give the latter half of The Housemaid a sharper edge, grounding the psychological turns in something more emotionally believable. Their scenes add tension without relying solely on shock value, allowing the story's darker implications to breathe.

Director Paul Feig, stepping away from comedy, handles the genre shift with confidence. The film is sleek, intimate, and deliberately uncomfortable, leaning into paranoia and emotional manipulation rather than outright violence. It may not reinvent the erotic thriller, but it understands the genre well enough to play with audience expectations.

The Housemaid isn't flawless, and it won't silence every criticism aimed at Sweeney's recent career trajectory. But thanks to Amanda Seyfried's standout performance and a well-timed narrative twist, it's far more compelling than it initially appears.

The film follows a young woman who becomes a housemaid for a wealthy family. Soon the housemaid finds out that there's more than meets the eye.

What carries this film are the three central performances from Sweeney, Seyfried, and Sklenar. Seyfried is a particular standout, aptly balancing instability here in the first part of the film, and a kind of charm and gentleness later. It's also nice that the two female leads aren't just ditzy and have some interiority.

As long as you don't take it too seriously, you'll have a good time. The suspense, tension, and dread ratchet up slowly until it reaches an explosive, satisfying ending. The twists are shocking and unexpected. The film is unpredictable and pleasingly chaotic at times. (Disclaimer: I didn't read the source material.) The action scenes are cool and at times graphic, and the romance is hot.

This is not only a fun little thriller, but it also has some substance to it. It can be cathartic and poignant at points. It's not often that mainstream films portray domestic violence in the upper echelons of society, and this film does that while simultaneously offering an entertaining time. I myself was in an abusive relationship not too long ago, with a good-looking, successful, and wealthy person similar to the abuser depicted in this film, that lasted for several years. Like the family in this film, we lived in the suburbs where no one suspected a thing, but of course underneath that manicured exterior he was abusing me. It was relatable and refreshing to see my experience represented on screen.

Mind you, this film is by no means perfect. It feels campy and cheesy for much of the runtime due to the extremity of some actions taken by characters. And the couple sex scenes feel gratuitous. But at the same time, that can all be forgiven as the extremeness and high tension only adds to the fun in this little popcorn flick.

And for those who've been in abusive relationships, particularly with wealthy partners, this film offers the added benefit of being therapeutic. You should know that you're not alone, that there is help out there, and you can always leave the abuse behind.

Enjoy this throwback to the thrillers of the 90s. It's fun.

In general, the story was pretty good. It was a decent thriller with some jump, scare moments, some gruesome body stuff and a pretty good twist. It also reflected the realities of mental health and clingy relationships. I've heard some complain about the pacing towards the middle/end but in my opinion, the pacing was fine. It didn't feel drawn out and it ended exactly when it should've.

The characters themselves were pretty good. Sydney Sweeney did a decent job. She's not gonna win a Grammy for her performance, but she played her role well of the innocent but beautiful woman and has a good character arc.

I really did like how they used music and different camera angles to set a very tense tone.

Overall, it's in decent movie with some good tense moments and a pretty good story.