Movie Review: The Housemaid (2025)
Synopsis: On parole and living in her car, Millie Calloway is surprised and thrilled when she lands a job as a live-in housemaid for Nina Winchester, her husband Andrew and their daughter Cece. It seems like the perfect opportunity until Millie learns Nina has mental health issues that make her verbally abusive and physically violent. Unable to quit because it would mean going back to prison, Millie sticks it out and soon finds herself growing closer to Andrew, leading to them sleeping together and Andrew finally standing up to his wife. However, soon after, Millie learns the truth about what is really going on in the Winchester house.
Who's in it? The movie stars Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Indiana Elle and Elizabeth Perkins.
Review: We went from tornado-producing weather to freezing temperatures again, giving my wife and I another excuse to just stay home on a Saturday night and watch a movie. The Housemaid has been on my watch list for a couple weeks, so we gave it a try. Overall, I have to say it was a good film.
I think the thing that really makes this movie watchable is Amanda Seyfried's performance as Nina Winchester. I don't think I could have ever imagined Seyfried in a role that made her terrifying, but this film proved me wrong in that part. The way she could switch from the perfect housewife to a violent lunatic in a matter of seconds was fantastic and it really made me wonder at times if Millie's (Sweeney) life was in danger.
Sweeney's performance was also solid, playing off Seyfried perfectly with a character that was likable but also clearly hiding a past. Her eventual seduction of Andrew (Sklenar) didn't feel forced - it was something that felt inevitable but not necessarily intentional either, especially when certain details were revealed regarding hidden motives.
The movie did end up being a bit more predictable than expected with my wife and I figuring out the surprise twist before Millie and Andrew even became an item and with me trying to warn Millie not to enter the bedroom with the very suspicious deadbolt that could only be opened from the outside. However, the movie does make up for that with an informative and entertaining narrative from Nina, explaining how and why we reached that point.
That said, one of the complaints I did have about the movie was Nina's narrative also left me with quite a few questions about some of her actions - including trying to get Millie arrested/sent back to prison and trying to gaslight Millie at times. I guess it could have been her intentionally trying to get Nina and Andrew to bond, but that didn't seem to be necessary.
Also, at the risk of sounding prudish, I did think the sex scenes were a bit drawn out and explicit. It's a movie that didn't really need to be an erotic thriller and could have just as easily implied the sex without minimizing the plot - save sex scenes like that for less entertaining movies.
Final Opinion: Some parts of the film were predictable, and the sex scenes seemed to be much more gratuitous than necessary. However, it was an entertaining thriller overall, especially Seyfried's powerful performance, and worth watching for that reason.
My Grade: B+
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Here are some reviews of other thrillers:
Movie Review: The Woman in Cabin 10 (2025)
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