Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid Gets a Stylish, Entertaining Film Adaptation
There were undoubtedly numerous filmmakers interested in adapting Freida McFadden’s massively successful 2022 novel The Housemaid, so the selection of Paul Feig as director represents a particular choice of perspective from both McFadden and her studio partners at Lionsgate. Feig is still primarily known as a comedy director, and he previously helmed a campy, candy-colored adaptation of Darcey Bell’s thriller novel A Simple Favor. So it’s no surprise that he brings out the campy elements of The Housemaid as well, while sticking fairly close to McFadden’s twist-filled plot.
Fans of A Simple Favor — and especially those who were disappointed with this year’s strained, scattered sequel Another Simple Favor — will be delighted by Feig’s approach to The Housemaid, and will immediately understand what he’s aiming for. Fans of McFadden’s book may need a slight period of adjustment to get on Feig’s wavelength, but nothing about The Housemaid suggests that Feig and screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine are disrespecting their source material. They simply find the irony and dark humor in McFadden’s story and characters, playing it up while maintaining the consistent sense of peril.
It helps that the actors are fully on board with Feig’s intentions, although the lead performances in The Housemaid aren’t quite as enjoyably ridiculous as Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively in A Simple Favor. Sydney Sweeney takes on the more grounded role of the title character, a paroled convict who’s just looking for a fresh start in life. Sure, Sweeney’s Millie Calloway lies on her résumé when applying for a job to work for the wealthy Winchester family, but there’s nothing malicious about it. She’s a genuine hard worker who wants the same chance to earn a living as anyone else.
It takes a while for The Housemaid to reveal the reason behind Millie’s prison stint, but her status as an ex-con is established early on, and it’s never treated as something sinister. There are far more unsettling secrets in the Winchester household, where seemingly glamorous housewife Nina (Amanda Seyfried) acts like Millie’s best friend one moment, then angrily berates her for made-up errors in the next moment. When Millie moves into the house, she’s placed in a small attic bedroom with one tiny non-opening window and a door that locks from the outside.
To Millie’s credit, she almost immediately tries to escape from this volatile situation, but it’s not easy for someone with her history to find a new job. She also develops sympathy for Nina’s reserved young daughter Cecelia (Indiana Elle) and Nina’s handsome, patient husband Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), who’s always apologizing for his wife’s erratic behavior. It’s not hard to guess where the instant chemistry between Millie and Andrew might lead.
For viewers who haven’t read McFadden’s book, though, it certainly will be hard to guess where the overall plot is headed, and Feig deploys each new twist with the same devious wink-and-nudge style that he brought to A Simple Favor. As Millie learns more about the danger she’s unwittingly gotten herself into, Sweeney’s performance becomes bolder and snarkier, but Seyfried carries the movie as the scheming Nina, who delivers every unhinged rant with a naughty gleam in her eye.
The Housemaid smartly shifts sympathies as it goes along, but like A Simple Favor, it ultimately comes back to a sort of twisted sisterhood, making it easy to root for the central female characters as they enact increasingly brutal vengeance. While the story deals with heavy themes about emotional and physical abuse, the movie never loses sight of its demented sense of humor. That doesn’t mean that the filmmakers are dismissive of such serious topics, but they know that sometimes the best way to deal with horrific situations is by laughing at them.
While the production and costume design in The Housemaid is not as elaborate and colorful as in A Simple Favor, it’s still a major part of Feig’s overall directorial vision, and from the moment that Millie enters the massive Winchester mansion, the many staircases and hideaways offer clear potential for future mischief. Millie and Nina’s choices in clothing chart their personal evolution as well as their growing similarities, and Feig knows how to make his actresses look fashionable without undermining their characters’ vulnerabilities.
It’s all part of the movie’s sense of playfulness and fun, something that is sorely missing from far too many dour, drawn-out screen adaptations of popular thriller novels. Feig once again proves that he has the perfect eye for bringing such relentlessly entertaining material to the screen, and he has a whole world of scandals among the rich and powerful to explore. At this point, it might as well be a cinematic universe — let’s bring on The Housemaid’s Simple Favor.
The Housemaid opens December 19 in theaters.
Discover the Book
I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.
I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out … and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.
But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.
They don’t know what I’m capable of …
By clicking 'Sign Up,' I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
What to read next…
Josh Bell is a freelance writer and movie/TV critic based in Las Vegas. He has written about movies, TV, and pop culture for the Boston Globe, Vulture, Tom’s Guide, Inverse, Crooked Marquee, and more. With comedian Jason Harris, he co-hosts the podcast Awesome Movie Year.