The Housemaid Review: I’ll be honest right out of the gate, I didn’t walk into The Housemaid expecting cinema greatness. I walked in wanting a spicy, slightly unhinged thriller where rich people are awful, and secrets spill everywhere. That’s the promise the trailer makes. That’s the promise the book makes. And for the most part, that’s exactly the movie you get.
But it’s not clean. It’s not tight. And it’s definitely not subtle. Still… I didn’t hate my time with it.
My Rating: 2.5/5
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Movie Title | The Housemaid |
| Release Year | 2025 |
| Genre | Thriller, Psychological Drama |
| Director | Paul Feig |
| Based On | Novel The Housemaid by Freida McFadden |
| Lead Cast | Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar |
| Supporting Cast | Michele Morrone, Elizabeth Perkins |
| Runtime | Approx. 2 hours |
Watching It Felt Like This
About twenty minutes in, I knew what kind of movie this was going to be. You can feel it settling into that glossy, trashy rhythm—big house, fake smiles, uncomfortable silences, and that constant sense that something is off. I was locked in early. The setup works. Being trapped inside someone else’s perfect life is always creepy, and the movie leans into that unease nicely.
Sydney Sweeney plays Millie, who’s broke, desperate, fresh out of prison, and clearly hiding things. She lies her way into a live-in housemaid job for Nina and Andrew, a wealthy couple who seem perfect in that “something is definitely wrong here” way. And yes, things go sideways. Slowly. Then all at once.
Amanda Seyfried Is the Movie’s Secret Weapon
Amanda Seyfried understood the assignment better than anyone else in this film. Her character, Nina, is unhinged, but not in a cartoon way. She swings between sweet, icy, cruel, needy, and terrifying sometimes within the same scene. There were moments where she genuinely made me uncomfortable, and that’s exactly what this movie needs.
She plays Nina like someone who’s barely holding her reality together, and she looks like she’s having a blast doing it. Every time she was on screen, the movie came alive. It’s campy, dramatic, and just theatrical enough to work without tipping into parody. If you watch The Housemaid for one reason, it should be her.
Sydney Sweeney… This One Didn’t Work for Me
This is where I might lose some people. Sydney Sweeney looks like a star here—no argument. The camera loves her, the film knows it, and it doesn’t pretend otherwise. But performance-wise? This just didn’t land for me.
Millie is supposed to be complicated. Troubled. Dangerous in quiet ways. But Sweeney plays her so straight and so flat that she almost feels like she’s in a different movie. When the story starts digging into Millie’s past, I wanted that to hit harder. Instead, it kind of just sat there.
It’s strange because I’ve seen her be really good elsewhere. Here, she felt stiff, almost too serious for a movie that’s clearly leaning into trashy fun. It held the film back more than once.
The Husband, the House, and the Weird Stuff
Brandon Sklenar as Andrew does exactly what this role needs. He starts off as the perfect, glossy husband and slowly reveals there’s more under the surface. He’s charming, unsettling, and clearly enjoying the shift once the movie lets him go there.
The house itself deserves credit, too. Big, cold, beautiful, and uncomfortable. The attic room that Millie stays in? Genuinely creepy. Same with the mysterious groundskeeper, the controlling mother-in-law, and all the little details that keep whispering, something is wrong here. The problem is pacing.
Also Read: Avatar 3 Review: Fire and Ash Looks Incredible, But Something Feels Off
The Housemaid Movie Did Not Need to Be Over Two Hours
This is where Paul Feig’s instincts get in his own way. The first half works. The tension builds. The mystery pulls you along. But once the movie hits its final act, it turns into an explanation marathon. Everything gets spelled out. Then explained again. Then, I explained a little more, just in case you missed it.
I didn’t hate the ending, but I felt the runtime. It overstays its welcome, and by the time the credits rolled, I was ready for it to be done. Still, I stayed engaged. I wanted answers. And that counts for something.
The Housemaid – What Worked vs What Didn’t
| Worked for Me | Didn’t Work for Me |
|---|---|
| Amanda Seyfried’s wild, campy performance | Sydney Sweeney’s flat lead role |
| Strong atmosphere and setup | Way too long |
| Entertaining twists | The Final act over-explains everything |
| Glossy, trashy thriller vibe | Uneven tone |
| Easy to stay invested | Side characters feel wasted |
Final Verdict: Should You Watch The Housemaid?
Here’s the simplest way I can put it. This is not a “run to the theater” movie for everyone. But it is a solid “watch it on streaming with the right expectations” movie.
If you enjoy trashy domestic thrillers, rich people behaving terribly, and campy performances that don’t take themselves too seriously, you’ll probably have a good time. If you’re expecting something sharp, grounded, or emotionally deep, you’re going to be disappointed.
For me, The Housemaid sits firmly in that “good bad movie” category. Flawed, messy, sometimes frustrating—but never boring. And honestly? Sometimes that’s enough.
Rating: 2.5 / 5 If you’ve seen it, I’m curious, did you lean into the madness, or did it lose you halfway through? This is one of those movies where reactions are going to be all over the place.