Overflowing with twists, secrets, and deliciously unhinged drama, "The Housemaid" turns Freida McFadden’s novel into a captivating cinematic soap opera with Amanda Seyfried as a manic matriarch and Sydney Sweeney as the street-smart newcomer. Los Angeles (tca/dpa) – The movie equivalent of a soapy, trashy beach read, "The Housemaid" is a madly enjoyable romp that makes the most out of its talented cast and takes audiences on a thrillingly unpredictable joyride. For a date night or a girls night out during the stressful holiday season, audiences would be hard pressed to find anything else this devilishly delightful. This overflowingly juicy adaptation of Freida McFadden's 2022 novel stars Amanda Seyfried as Nina Winchester , a wealthy Long Island wife and mother who hires Millie Calloway ( Sydney Sweeney ) to lend a hand around the house and to help take care of Cecelia (Indiana Elle), the grade school-aged daughter she has with her husband Andrew ("It Ends With Us'" Brandon Sklenar ). Millie, near destitute and trying to rebuild her life after some childhood, er, speed bumps — we learn early on that she's on probation, but the details of her past are purposely slow to emerge — desperately needs the work. At first, all seems dreamlike with the new gig, until Nina starts freaking out on Millie, blaming her for things she didn't do and playing head games with her new helping hand, who is living in the attic of the Winchester's lovely family home. Andrew isn't around often, but when he is, he's apologetic to Millie for Nina's erratic behaviour. We learn Nina has some dark secrets of her own, and it's not long before Andrew grows closer to Millie, and they share late nights watching Richard Dawson -era "Family Feud" episodes in the family viewing room, which only further stokes Nina's ire. Mt. Clemens -raised director Paul Feig ("A Simple Favor," "Bridesmaids"), working from a sharp script by Rebecca Sonnenshine , works these elements — the emerging rivalry between Nina and Millie, the budding attraction between Millie and Andrew — into a sudsy lather. The three principal cast members, meanwhile, lean all the way into their parts — Seyfried as the manic, uptight wife and mother who is prone to psychotic outburtsts; Sweeney as the kindhearted but street smart bombshell; Sklenar as the handsome husband and mama's boy ( Elizabeth Perkins is Evelyn, his doting mother). Of course, like any good page turner, "The Housemaid" has much more up its sleeve than first meets the eye, and the fun of the movie is watching it unspool in gloriously unhinged ways. Much has been made of Sweeney in recent months — about her box office appeal, about her media image, about her future career prospects. Only those that haven't been paying attention would undersell her talent, and her work here should do a lot to lift her out of the financial doldrums of her last few projects. But Seyfried is the rock here, and the Oscar nominee — she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for 2020's "Mank" — gets to have a blast while playing all manner of crazy. Between this and her work in the upcoming "The Testament of Ann Lee ," the one-time "Mean Girl" has blossomed into a wholly captivating leading lady. The twists and turns in "The Housemaid" are way too delectable to spill. But they help it make for a highly entertaining moviegoing experience, a popcorn movie just begging for extra butter. The following information is not intended for publication tca dpa coh
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