I don't think Amanda Seyfried gets the respect she deserves. She's one of the best actresses working right now, and if there was any doubt about that, they should be dispelled this month. She gives a truly riveting performances in The Testament of Ann Lee, which is also one of the most memorable movies of the year (it opens next week). And this week, she is easily the most entertaining thing in the unabashedly trashy and fun The Housemaid.
The film also stars Sydney Sweeney, and while I don't tend to agree with those who consider her a terrible actress (she was great in HBO's The White Lotus and Euphoria), when paired with Seyfried, her limitations are amplified. Seyfried plays Nina, a rich housewife who hires Millie (Sweeney) to be a live-in maid. Millie has some secrets, and soon, Millie learns Nina has some secrets of her own, as Nina soon demonstrates she may not have a complete grip on reality, something her husband (Brandon Sklenar) and daughter (Indiana Elle) do their best to handle. And it's in the scenes where we see Nina's sanity fracture that Seyfried really shines.
One doesn't normally expect a performance as good as Seyfried's in a film that, while fun, has all the earmarks of something that would normally go straight to streaming. (Paul Feig also directed the similar A Simple Favor, and if you liked that one, you'll probably like this one too.)
A movie like this is no fun if you know what's coming, so I won't say any more about the plot. But it does make me wonder if anyone who has read the (apparently wildly popular) book this was based on will get as much enjoyment from it as those coming in cold.
I haven't seen Ella McCay, the new movie from James L. Brooks, but reviews and word of mouth have not been good, to put it mildly. Meanwhile, Bradley Cooper's new movie Is This Thing On? feels like the kind of movie James L. Brooks would make, thus making it a better James L. Brooks movie than the actual James L. Brooks movie that's out right now.
And to be fair, it's closer to something like Spanglish than Broadcast News in terms of quality. Will Arnett and Laura Dern are Alex and Tess Novak, a couple on the verge of divorce. While living apart, Alex, almost on accident, performs some stand-up during an open mic night and finds a new passion in comedy. Meanwhile Tess, a former volleyball team Olympian, decides to get back into the game via coaching.
Is This Thing On? is a lot smaller than Cooper's previous directorial efforts, but as in A Star Is Born and Maestro, the story is focused on a relationship, and how the pursuits of individual passions affect those relationships. Will Arnett and Laura Dern both give solid performances, even if Arnett's stand-up routines are a little...rough. And I can't say I'm wild about Cooper's use of extreme close-ups throughout; I'm not sure I really need to see anyone's face that close for that long, especially in a theater. James L. Brooks would never.
