Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, and Sydney Sweeney—you’d think that this star studded trio would be guaranteed to deliver a suspenseful thriller that had you on the edge of your seat. Well, unfortunately, you’d be thinking wrong. Seyfried went above and beyond just like she has in classics like Mamma Mia and Mean Girls as well as some of her niche roles like The Dropout, but it wasn’t enough to save the predictable plot twist or lack of chemistry between Sklenar and Sweeney.
A Little Background
Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney) is a struggling 20-something, desperate for a job or at least a place to live. That’s where Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) comes in. Nina hires Millie as a live-in maid, seemingly the perfect position that would give Millie a stable income and a roof above her head. Millie’s immediately on edge, noticing that her room in the attic locks from the outside and the window is bolted shut, but it must be fine, right? Besides, Millie has no time to worry about that because she’s busy fawning over Nina’s husband Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar) or preparing elaborate breakfast spreads for the family.
Are We Really Calling That A Plot Twist? Spoiler Warning
The movie opens with Nina (Amanda Seyfried), a seemingly perfect housewife, devolving into madness. She’s certifiably crazy, throwing plates across the room and clutching mirror shards until her hands bleed, which pushes Millie (Sydney Sweeney) into Andrew’s (Brandon Sklenar) waiting arms. Now the supposed plot twist is that Andrew is actually the crazy one, but to me, that wasn’t that shocking. I mean when a woman is that crazy, it’s usually a man’s fault. The foreshadowing with the spiral staircase, attic door getting stuck, and gardener’s warning was a little too obvious; I understand they had to build in suspenseful undertones, but to me, this made the plot twist unsurprising.
Sweeney and Sklenar’s Forced Chemistry
Based on McFadden’s novel that the movie was adapted from, Millie and Andrew’s love story was supposed to play out like a torrid affair that audience members would actually root for—love succeeding against all odds, even a crazy wife. That’s not exactly how it played out. The interactions between Millie and Andrew were fine, but nothing that had me gushing in my seat. It felt forced: as if Andrew was only interested in Millie because she was a younger carbon copy of Nina.
“If the movie is going to be bad, at the very least, I’m expecting some tangible chemistry.”
I don’t mean to criticize The Housemaid too much—if you need a basic movie for girls’ night with a little thrill, I’d still suggest it. But, just don’t go into it with as high of expectations as I did. If you need recommendations for other recently released movies that are worth a watch, check this out!