Sun Dec 28 16:20:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the review and a rewritten news article based on the text:
Summary:
Robert Kojder’s review of Paul Feig’s “The Housemaid” is mixed. While acknowledging that the film’s eventual turn into a thrilling, suspenseful ride is engaging, he criticizes the first half for being slow, illogical, and overly reliant on misdirection. The performances, particularly from Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, and Brandon Sklenar, are praised for leaning into the campiness of the story. The film is an adaptation of Freida McFadden’s novel and suffers from predictability, making the slow build-up even more frustrating. The critic scores the film three out of five stars, appreciating its potential once the plot thickens but lamenting the drawn-out and sometimes nonsensical first half.
News Article:
“The Housemaid” Delivers Thrills, But Takes Too Long to Get There, Says Flickering Myth Review
Los Angeles, CA – December 26, 2025 – Paul Feig’s latest thriller, “The Housemaid,” starring Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, and Brandon Sklenar, is hitting theaters with a mixed reception, according to a Flickering Myth review published today. Robert Kojder calls the film a “genuine thrill ride” in its second half but criticizes its slow and illogical build-up, particularly the first hour.
Based on Freida McFadden’s novel, “The Housemaid” follows Millie (Sweeney), a woman on parole who lands a job as a live-in housemaid for the affluent Nina (Seyfried) and her husband, Andrew (Sklenar). As Millie settles into her new role, strange occurrences and Nina’s erratic behavior raise red flags, hinting at sinister secrets within the seemingly perfect family.
While Kojder praises the actors’ performances, especially their embrace of the story’s campy elements, he finds the initial setup frustratingly slow. “To sit with such illogical behavior for roughly an hour, while also knowing where this is ultimately going, is downright annoying,” he writes.
The review suggests that viewers familiar with the thriller genre or the source material may find the predictability of the early plot points tiresome. However, Kojder notes that “The Housemaid” eventually finds its footing, delivering intense suspense and unexpected twists.
“It’s a film that admittedly does fire on all cylinders once the puzzle pieces fall into place,” he concludes, ultimately giving the movie a three-star rating. Whether audiences will have the patience to endure the slow burn before the thrills kick in remains to be seen.
First Piper 