‘The Housemaid’: Watchable, just about

Paul Feig’s ‘The Housemaid’ is an adaptation of Freida McFadden’s thriller. McFadden is supposedly the nom de plume of a practising brain surgeon. That’s probably why the ludicrous setup, combined with an absurd turn of events, defies description. The female-centric thriller plays to extremes; it may not be great fun but is fairly serviceable.

Millie (Sydney Sweeney), a woman with a troubled past and on probation, is seeking steady employment as a condition for her release. She eventually lands a live-in job with Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried), a smiling housewife from a wealthy family.

Everything seems too perfect to be true. Nina’s meltdown over something as insignificant as handwritten notes for a PTA meeting throws up a challenge that only her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), can help with. Nina’s mind games with Millie, and Andrew’s more than a passing interest in Millie, add to the tension. It’s only when Millie and Nina’s rivalry comes to a head that Millie learns the real story.

The screenplay by Rebecca Sonnenshine fails to throw much light on the class disparity and its effect, but she does allow for it to weigh in on the decision-making. The narrative takes many twists and turns before revealing itself as something more than what it started off as. Feig makes full use of his experience with the twisty thriller, landing gasp-worthy moments with a frequency rarely experienced. But not all twisty moments are surprise turns. Some are fairly predictable.

Enzo (Michele Morrone), the Winchester’s groundskeeper, has a mean role to play, but Millie plays wide-eyed to a fault and misses the signs. Nina’s controlling behaviour is what sets off the sparks though. Her husband shows signs of weirdness but his flirtations do get Millie hot and bothered. Andrew’s mother (Elizabeth Perkins) is another character to throw a spanner in the works. The unconvincing psychological ambivalence displayed by the primary characters becomes questionable though.

The actors keep the audience interested and invested. Seyfried, in particular, appears to relish her role as the unhinged diva who runs circles around the people in her household. Sweeney doesn’t get deep into her act until the final showdown sets her off. Sklenar does well to paper in weird with suave and sexy.

‘The Housemaid’ does not get as exciting as expected but is fairly well shot and presents its actors to great effect. The extended runtime, scrappy editing and some pithy dialogue may drive a wedge into its entertainment potential.