Sydney Sweeney has very quickly become one of Hollywood's biggest, busiest stars but the thing that's made her an A-lister is the simplicity of her choices. Anyone but You was as straightforward a rom-com as you could see and it wooed audiences to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. Her next big move? Keep it simple, and make it thrilling.
That movie is The Housemaid, the psychological thriller based on Freida McFadden's bestselling novel, which has earned around $400 million worldwide. Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor), the movie stars Sweeney as Millie Calloway, a young woman who takes a job working for a wealthy couple, only to discover that the family's seemingly perfect life is hiding some deeply unpleasant secrets.
Millie's in need of a fresh start when she stumbles into a position as the housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family, but very quickly things start to unravel as the domestic bliss the Winchesters present seems to be nothing more than a glamorous façade.
The cast is led by Sweeney (Euphoria) as Millie, alongside Seyfried (Mamma Mia!) as Nina Winchester, Brandon Sklenar (1923) as Andrew Winchester, Michele Morrone (365 Days) as Enzo, Elizabeth Perkins (Big) as Evelyn Winchester, and Indiana Elle as Cece Winchester.
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You're a systems thinker who can't help but notice the seams in things.
The wasteland doesn't reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That's you.
You'd survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn't have it any other way.
The movie's biggest achievement has been turning a bestselling book into a major theatrical hit at a time when original, adult-oriented thrillers haven't always found it easy to compete with established franchises. Its worldwide earnings of around $400 million have made it one of the most commercially successful movies of Sweeney's career. Now, the movie is proving to be a mainstay on HBO Max, where it is the #1 movie in the U.S.
Collider's Jeff Ewing thought that Sweeney struggled initially with some of the more quiet, thoughtful moments but when the movie became more deranged, she stepped up. Seyfried, on the other hand, was described as "stellar throughout" which should come as no surprise to anyone who's spent years watching her. The movie also earned praise for embracing the sort of steamy, dangerous atmosphere that made erotic thrillers so popular in the 1990s.
However, once the story's major twist arrives, things improve dramatically, and the film becomes a much more entertaining experience. Ewing concluded that The Housemaid "sticks the landing for one of the most entertaining finales this year," adding that "when it's sexy, violent, or bonkers, it's a wildly enjoyable romp."
The Housemaid is streaming now, while The Housemaid's Secret is due to open next December.
