Maja, 17, and Sonia, 16, say Sweeney’s acting is not as great as her jeans
Sydney Sweeney as Millie and Amanda Seyfried as Nina in The Housemaid.
10 February 2026
A TikTok thriller that traded tension for trends. The Housemaid review
The Housemaid is a psychological thriller that pulls the reader into a world of quiet tension and unsettling secrets. After watching the film adaptation, we are certain that it’s the book that does so.
The story follows a young woman, Millie (Sydney Sweeney), who, in search of a fresh start, takes a job as a housemaid for a wealthy family. However, as she settles into the household, it becomes clear that appearances are deceptive – something beneath the polished surface is profoundly wrong.
Our interest in the movie was sparked when we found out that Sweeney starred in it. Recent controversy around the actress’s appearance in an advert for The American Eagle apparel brand and her reaction to the criticism have made her an interesting figure. The controversy seemed to have overshadowed her acting career, and since after the release of Christy, which proved to be a flop, her box office performance became a subject of debate. The Housemaid seemed to be a good opportunity to evaluate.
The film is based on a bestselling novel by Freida McFadden, and the story had potential for cinematic greatness. The book explores a very intriguing idea that resonated with a large audience. The adaptation starts as a promising psychological thriller, but quickly turns into something far less satisfying: Paul Feig’s film is yet another example of mainstream American filmmaking ruining a great story.
When we were buying tickets, we did not know that we’d have to endure two hours of mild acting, predictable plot twists, and forced suspense. Only Amanda Seyfried’s intense and emotional acting carried the movie.
Interestingly, the first half of the film is worth seeing. Fast-paced action fits the plot, keeps the viewer engaged, and some moments are truly shocking. Each character develops and gradually reveals their true nature – and then it all goes downhill.
The problem is that the story becomes unbelievably predictable. It all circles around the same event, which seems to create an endless loop of yelling, hitting, and plotting, with clichés one after another, out-of-place erotic scenes, violence portrayed as if it were a cartoon. There is little psychological depth; what should be acted is instead said.
Before long, we were physically bored with what was supposed to be a thriller. We really hoped that the ending would offer something new, but it was exactly what we predicted. It was a situation quite similar to the one that resulted with the conformity gate theory conspiracy after the last season of Stranger Things failed to meet the expectations of the audience.
The moment that changed our view was when Lana Del Rey’s Cinnamon Girl started playing. Not to be misunderstood – it is a beautiful song; Lana’s second most popular, with over a billion streams on Spotify. But it did not fit, and fuelled the feeling that the film was a mediocre, mainstream, America production – no cinemagoer likes to feel as if the movie was stripped from TikTok trends.
In terms of Sydney Sweeney’s performance – there’s not much to tell. A Letterboxd comment – “Are we sure Sydney Sweeney even enjoys acting?” – perfectly summarised our perception. Although her performance in HBO’s Euphoria can certainly be called outstanding, since then she has not seemed able to show acting skills even half as strong.
In The Housemaid Sweeney is bland, almost as if she didn’t really want to do the work – while Amanda Seyfried is shattered and in tears almost every second, Sweeney is simply there.
