The Housemaid Movie Review

First came the book. Then came the movie. The book. The movie. From what I heard after the screening, read the book, see the movie… no matter what order, just do these two things.

Since director Paul Feig gave us “A Simple Favor” and “Another Simple Favor,” I assumed he’d know what to do to wow us with the two ladies up on the screen in this movie, and I was right. The tone was magnificent, and Seyfried (Nina) and Sweeney (Millie) were the perfect pairing. The movie was juicy, electrifying, and the pick-me-up we all need right now. A good psychological thriller is just what the doctor ordered. I suggest you see this at the theater. Get everything done before you get to your seat, empty the bladder, get the popcorn (a must for this one) so you don’t miss a moment. If you haven’t read the books, try to avoid hearing too much about this. The storyline isn’t exactly new, but the way this narrative unfolds is refreshing and… fun!

Out on parole, Millie gets a job as a live-in housekeeper at a wealthy family’s estate. When she gets to the house, the comfort she sees makes her want to work there. She’s desperate to join this family because she needs a job as part of her parole. If she’s not working, she goes back to prison. She thinks this will be easy work, better than being locked up. Thankfully, it’s good pay. She’s hired, and she’s happy. She’s then shown to her room, up in the attic. One would think that this palatial manor would have plenty of better rooms, but the attic it is. She notices there are scratches on the doorknob inside the room. Rethink that whole locked-up rumination.

Her first day makes her question her decision-making skills. Nina, the woman of the house, immediately blames her for something she didn’t do. The accusation comes with severe ugliness, something she would usually defend herself against, but parole. Friends of Nina’s come for tea. They’re the women of the PTA. Gossiping “witches with a B” is what they are, and it makes Millie quite uncomfortable. Right away, she hears from them that it’s “difficult to find good help,” and she gets looks suggesting she was a terrible choice. Everything Nina does and says is done to purposely make Millie feel small and useless.

But, at least there’s Andrew, the husband. She can look forward to looking at him on occasion. Played by Brandon Sklenar, who played Spencer Dutton in “1923,” Andrew is kind and warm to Millie. One evening, they bond over an episode of “Family Feud” in the middle of the night. Nina walks in on them laughing. Millie has Andrew’s attention. It doesn’t go well. After Nina’s discovery, Millie wants to leave, but the more the story unfolds, the more you see why she can’t. She doesn’t know how to please Nina. Andrew admits he isn’t sure how to himself.

During a weekend, Andrew and Millie end up getting together. There are some steamy scenes between Sweeney and Sklenar, so don’t bring the young ones. After, he tells Millie he wishes he had met her before. Is he her knight in shining armor? Just when you think so, the movie becomes very dark in a way you didn’t quite expect. By the way, if you break someone’s China, hide the fact that it was you! A suggestion from me to you.

“Housemaid” has a great soundtrack. Tony K, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Florence + The Machine and The Weekend are some of the artists featured. And based on the ending, I feel comfortable in saying that Freida McFadden’s bestseller being turned into a movie will be something you can continue to look forward to. Read her books? You won’t be disappointed. The twists and turns in the plot, reasons specific things are happening in a particular order, these all come together beautifully if you read the books. That said, the movie is excellent, whether you read McFadden’s novel or not, but it’s not a bad idea to do both. You’ll be on the edge of your seat the entire time when you see this film today.