A Maid that’s way too pretty, for a film that’s a little too faithful

Adapting a best-selling thriller is always a balancing act. Too many freedoms, and readers cry betrayal; too much fidelity, and cinema becomes a mere echo chamber. The Housekeeperdirected by Paul Feig, sits precisely on this ridgeline. Seen during a press screening, the film stands out as an effective, calibrated thriller, fully assuming its status as entertainment… at the risk of never surprising.

From the first minutes, the framework is set. Millie Calloway, played by Sydney Sweeney, gets out of prison and lives in her car. Convicted of having killed a man who attacked one of her friends, she is on parole: without a job, returning behind bars is always possible. This is where the providential – or toxic – offer from the Winchester couple comes into play. Nina, played by Amanda Seyfried, and Andrew, played by Brandon Sklenar, hire Millie as a housekeeper in their vast home.

Suspense under control

The story unfolds almost exclusively inside this house, the main setting which reinforces the feeling of psychological confinement. Nina, unstable, authoritarian, sometimes cruel, imposes on Millie a relationship of permanent domination.

The humiliations follow one another, as do the contradictory orders. The staging, sober and readable, never tries to show off. Paul Feig favors a fluid narration, without sudden breaks, letting the unease settle in gradually.

For those who have not read the novel, the effectiveness is real. The film can be watched with a certain ease, carried by a constant rhythm and diffuse tension. We even let ourselves be carried away by the story and the narration works. For readers of the book, however, the experience proves more frustrating. The screenplay follows almost word for word the structure of the original text: same scenes, same dialogues, same revelations. The twist – the pillar of the story – is known in advance, and the element of surprise evaporates. As for the gardener, don’t you…

Absolute fidelity, minimal audacity

Can we speak of a great adaptation when nothing differs from the original material? The question runs through the entire film. The Housekeeper is a rigorous, almost academic transposition. Each stage of the novel is reproduced on screen, sometimes giving the impression of length – the film exceeds two hours – without any real additional dramatic necessity. Where certain adaptations enrich the universe or offer a new point of view, this one simply illustrates.

That said, the casting brings undeniable added value. Sydney Sweeney composes a vulnerable but resistant heroine, while Amanda Seyfried plays with a disturbing ambiguity, oscillating between fragility and perversity. Except for this detail that the character of Freidda is certainly charming in the novels, but decidedly not as pretty as the chosen actress.

Brandon Sklenar, as a falsely smooth husband, perfectly embodies this figure of worrying respectability and Amanda Seyfried as a false shrew is convincing, but one downside will come up: everyone is… too perfect. Too beautiful, too smooth, where the novel suggested more ordinary, almost normal roughness. And not an advertisement for Ferrero Rocher…

The right Sunday evening movie?

This is undoubtedly where the film finds its right definition. The Housekeeper is a comfortable, entertaining thriller, ideal for an evening without excessive expectations. He doesn’t bring anything new to the book, and doesn’t betray it beyond what is acceptable (although, well, we’ve already said it, but the gardener, right?). A well-oiled Hollywood product, without aesthetic ambitions, but solid enough to keep the viewer in suspense between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.

READ – The cleaning lady Did she revolutionize the thriller?

There remains one question, almost ironic: without the massive success of the novel, would this film have seen the light of day? Definitely not. Like many contemporary adaptations, it is based above all on a story that has already proven itself. The cinema, here, accompanies the book more than it goes beyond it: a sort of derivative product, as one would expect from video games, mugs, potholders for the kitchen and a partnership with a brand of cleaning products branded “Cleaning Lady”?

It’s up to everyone to choose the order: reading or screening, even if the book in pocket format n (trans. Karine Forestier, J’ai lu) costs even less than a cinema ticket. But one thing is certain – for lovers of domestic suspense, the journey remains pleasant, even marked out. In theaters December 24…

By Nicolas Gary
Contact : ng@actualitte.com