The Housemaid (2025)

Considering the fact that the last film directed by Paul Feig was Another Simple Favor, I was not inclined to be optimistic about The Housemaid. Based on the tremendously popular book by Freida McFadden, I wondered if Feig could deliver something fun and trashy so soon after failing us so badly with something that should have been fun and trashy. Thankfully, he's helped by writer Rebecca Sonnenshine and lead cast members who are happy enough to revel in the silliness of the whole thing.

Sydney Sweeney plays Millie Calloway, a young woman who cannot believe her luck when she lands a live-in maid job with the seemingly-perfect Winchester family. There's Nina (Amanda Seyfried), the lovely and warm lady of the house, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), the devoted and gorgeous husband, and young Cece (Indiana Elle). Millie soon finds out that all isn't as it seems though. People in the house have some dark secrets. But, considering she's still on probation after serving ten years of a prison sentence, Millie has to tolerate more strange behaviour than most, considering she needs to stay employed and housed as part of her probation conditions. 

Having not read the book, or any of the McFadden books, all I knew was that it was apparently quite dark and twisted. Well, this film is quite dark and twisted, which makes me think that it's a decent adaptation. Unfortunately, everything is so ridiculous and overblown that none of the twists and turns are surprising, especially when you start mulling over the different directions that the film could take. Feig knows how far he can push things though, and he works with the screenplay to deliver a satisfying mix of intrigue, thrills, nastiness, and occasional laughs. 

Sweeney doesn't stretch her acting chops here, but she's fine in the lead role, and I like the fact that she has been involved in at least two erotically-charged thrillers throughout her acting career (reminder - check out The Voyeurs if you haven't seen it already). Whatever role she takes on, Sweeney seems to have good instincts when it comes to what she can bring to the table, whether that's tied to her acting range or just her obvious sex appeal. Seyfried gets to do much more with her character, and it's a lot of fun to see her move from the well-known sweetness of her usual persona to a whole lot of rage and nastiness. It's also fun to see Sklenar make use of the image that he has cultivated onscreen over the past couple of years. Elle is an entertainingly cold child, and there's room for a strong and silent turn from Michele Morrone and a "mother-in-law from hell" turn from Elizabeth Perkins, who does a lot with her very little screentime.

Despite the work of Feig and Sonnenshine, and despite the game cast, something here holds The Housemaid back from being as good as it could be. The 131-minute runtime doesn't help, especially when you notice how much time is still left after one or two of the earlier plot reveals, the soundtrack is also disappointingly insipid, in contrast to some of the wilder visuals, and the ending is just a bit too preposterous to be truly satisfying. 

I still enjoyed it though, and I'll absolutely watch the sequel when it comes along. I just can't see myself ever rewatching this, and I suspect others may feel the same way.

6/10

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Prime Time: Another Simple Favor (2025)

The simple addition of one word to give the title of this sequel could be seen as a relatively amusing and clever bit of work. Or it could be seen as unimaginative and lazy. Considering the film itself, I am going to go with the latter option.

I enjoyed A Simple Favour when I caught up with it about six years ago. The leads did good work, and it was a pleasant distraction. I have never spent any time since wishing that it had a sequel though. But it seems that director Paul Feig wanted an excuse to spend more time with the characters played by Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, which explains why writers Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis came up with this load of nonsense. 

Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) is trying to boost her book sales and stay relevant, which makes a surprise reappearance by Emily Nelson (Lively) both a blessing and a curse. Emily is out of prison on appeal, which means she can go gallivanting around Italy as she prepares to marry Dante Versano (Michele Morrone). For reasons that never quite make sense, Emily wants Stephanie to be a major part of her wedding, which allows both ladies to be put in danger when people start dying.

Lively is the star draw here, revelling in her callous and bitchy persona (even if the first half of the film seems to think it will be hilarious and shocking to have her overusing the word c**t), but it's always good to see Kendrick able to give some shading to her perky and sparkly onscreen persona. Alex Newell is fun as an eager agent, Henry Golding returns to the role of Sean Townsend, but with much more alcohol and bitterness added this time around, and there are a few decent moments for Allison Janney and Elizabeth Perkins. Morrone isn't great though, which is in line with most of his acting performances, and both Taylor Ortega and Elena Sofia Ricci feel sorely wasted. I could mention one or two others, but why bother putting more effort into this review than seems to have been put into crafting the narrative of the film?

Look, it's sometimes hard to really explain the full range of reactions to a movie. I thought that Another Simple Favor was pretty rubbish. It never made sense, it never had any actual tension, and there were too few laughs scattered throughout the screenplay. I wouldn't ever choose to rewatch this. BUT, mainly thanks to Kendrick and Lively, I still kind of enjoyed some of it. Despite the awful plotting, despite the fairly flat direction from Feig, there was some fun to be had here. Not much, but enough to save me from feeling pained.

I'm sure everyone enjoyed spending some time in Italy, and I hope they all enjoyed each other's company, but it doesn't translate to any more fun for viewers. Some of the scenery is nice. It starts to look less nice when blocked by unfolding events that are as irritating as they are illogical. 

You might end up liking this more than I did, despite me somehow still ending up not judging it too harshly (and, trust me, this is me not being harsh), but I would suggest that you do yourself a favour and just pick something else to watch ahead of this.

4/10

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Yule Love It: Last Christmas (2019)

It's an odd thing to make a movie out of, right? George Michael songs? And using a cheesy Wham hit to inspire the whole thing? It's weird. But we're kind of living in peak weird. Okay, that's not true, I don't want to tempt fate here, but we certainly seem to be living in a time that rewards strange films that seem ripe for dismissal, yet build up an appreciative and loyal fanbase. I'd point towards the likes of the Mamma Mia! movies, The Greatest Showman, and Bohemian Rhapsody as prime examples. Although not all musicals, the music used is a vital part of their appeal.

Emilia Clarke plays Kate, a young woman who seems to spend her time being selfish and making one bad decision after another. That's when she's not spending her time being elfish, due to working in a Christmas store, run by a woman who goes by the name of Santa (Michelle Yeoh). Kate wants to fulfil her dream of being a great singer, and she cares more about her auditions than anything else, including her concerned mother (Emma Thompson). But she also finds herself caring for a handsome, quirky, stranger named Tom (Henry Golding). Tom might just be the person to help her start living her life again without flying off the rails, and it could all work out well just in time for Christmas.

Directed by Paul Feig, the big draw here is the script, co-written by Emma Thompson and Byrony Kimmings (based on the story by Thompson and her husband, Greg Wise). I've enjoyed all of Feig's movies over the past decade, don't get me wrong, but I forgot that he was the director here until I saw his name in the opening credits. That's because, for me, I developed blinkers when I heard of Thompson's involvement, and just immediately figured this would be more interesting for her involvement. And it is.

It's also lifted by the involvement of the other three leads. I couldn't be happier to finally see a movie role for Emilia Clarke which finally lets her be as likeable as she so often is offscreen. I may have missed some others, considering I've only seen her sci-fi blockbusters (so that is on me), but I had a fear that Clarke would languish for a while after Game Of Thrones finished, before finally fading into obscurity. That looks less likely now, and rightly so. Clarke is able to keep you on her side even as she moves from one mistake/bad decision to the next, and the third act rewards viewers for sticking with her, of course. Yeoh and Golding will continue to win over fans who enjoyed their performances in Crazy Rich Asians. Yeoh is a lot of fun as the tough, but soft-centred, boss, and Golding will put every guy in the shade with his positive attitude and romantic gestures. He may have to play things a bit too quirky at times (I saw someone mention, rightly, that he's the male version of the "manic pixie girl" rom-com trope) but he's also able to take a breath and take a moment with Clarke whenever things need to settle into something a bit more serious. Thompson gives herself an accent (the family moved to the UK from the former Yugoslavia when Kate was young), and also gives herself a couple of the best lines, while Lydia Leonard does well with the hard role of the sister who is fed up with her sibling being able to get away with whatever she likes. Boris Isakovic does just as well, playing Kate's father, saying enough with what he doesn't add to conversations that have people reminding others of what he gave up to settle his family in the UK.

Feig directs capably enough, having shown with both this and A Simple Favour that he's moved away slightly from presenting every film as a box-ticking "Paul Feig film". And, despite his vocal critics, he often seems to know what will please audiences. He has faith (no pun intended) in the material, which pays off for anyone wanting to snuggle up and watch something fairly cosy and predictable.

What Last Christmas gets right is all of the stuff that some will hate. The Christmassy cheer, the cheesy love story, the collection of characters that feel like they're all waiting for their own spin-off sit-com, the mix of jokes ranging from sweet to just rude enough to prompt a guffaw from your eternally-well-manicured Aunt Helen. But it's not without some wrong choices, in my opinion. There's an indirect, and direct, positioning of the movie just around the time of the Brexit referendum. Part of me understands what it adds to the texture of the story, part of me thinks the film could have done without it (or could have done something with it without making it SO focused on the actual referendum result itself). The other wrong choice . . . well, it's the use of George Michael songs. Fans of the singer will be delighted, and I know that is part of the crossover appeal here, but the soundtrack felt like every song choice was shoehorned in there, just to ensure that fans heard his voice every five minutes. I love the way the titular song is used, I just didn't think the rest worked that well, with one notable exception that had me hiding my watery eyes.

Last Christmas is good. It's solid seasonal fare, and a delightful rom-com. But if they had set it in the late '80s or early '90s, had Kate trying to make something successful out of a pipe dream, and perhaps ended at some big concert event, it could have been a bit better. You could have still had the moments of xenophobia, you would have had more reason to use all of the featured songs, and the ending could be very similar. But that is why I write movie reviews and not movies.

7/10

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A Simple Favour (2018)

After a string of hit comedies that ended with his take on Ghostbusters (which I liked anyway, even if it failed to live up to its potential), director Paul Feig has returned with something a bit different. It's still in the realm of comedy, but it's a different kind of comedy, and it's mixed into a plot that is decidely . . . well . . . Hitchcockian. And very enjoyable it is too.

Anna Kendrick plays another typical Kendrick role, a single mother named Stephanie who spends her time vlogging, looking after her children, and trying to sign her name up for every school project that requires volunteers. The other parents seem to gently mock her, from a slight distance, but her hyper-busy and efficient lifestyle eventually leads to her meeting Emily Nelson (Blake Livey), a successful married mother who isn't adverse to using foul language and taking a very relaxed approach to home-made happy hours. But the new friendship is not due to last long, mainly due to the sudden disappearance of Emily. Stephanie starts trying to find out exactly what is going on, and uncovers some truths that prove that she probably didn't really know anything about the woman she quickly became firm friends with.

Based on a novel by Darcey Bell, A Simple Favour is a slick film that could have easily gone so wrong. Keep piling on the jokes and you remove any intrigue in the actual mystery, make the mystery too dense and you threaten to lose those who have been enticed by the glossy, easygoing, opening act.  Thankfully, Jessica Scharzer's script deftly balances those two different main aspects, helped immensely by the central performances.

Kendrick is as easy to like as she usually is, but she's almost overshadowed by a ridiculously fun turn from Lively, wonderfully droll, sharp, and giving not one care about anyone other than herself. I did say almost, and the film allows each of the leads to make the most of some great moments. Henry Golding is the other main adult character, Emily's husband (Sean aka prime suspect #1), there's an all-too-short bit of screentime for Linda Cardellini, and the child actors all do well enough.

Strangely enough, despite the sterling work of the writers and the stars, it's hard to take credit away from Feig. He may not have a signature style, or even much style at all, but he's skilled enough to work on this without messing it all up. Much like the script, the direction could have easily unbalanced this. Considering the material that Feig has previously seemed most comfortable with, his ability to stop himself from breaking something that didn't need fixed is admirable.

If Nancy Drew ever became friends with Patsy or Edina from Absolutely Fabulous then the end result would be very similar. And if you like the sound of that then you're bound to enjoy this.

7/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.

April Fools: The Heat (2013)

Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are the odd couple thrown together in this standard buddy cop comedy that ends up providing a fair amount of chuckles, thanks to the talents of the cast and a consistently amusing, if not outright hilarious, script.

Bullock is Agent Ashburn, a Fed who takes great pride in her work. Well, it's basically all she has in her life. Except for her cat, which actually belongs to her neighbour. When a big case takes her to Boston it's not long until she bumps into the aggressive and unorthodox Mullins (McCarthy). Which means, of course, that the two of them have to work together to crack the case.

Director Paul Feig, who scored a huge hit with his previous movie, Bridesmaids, proves here that he has a knack of working well with talented comedic actresses. Or that he has a knack of working well with talented female writers, as it's Katie Dippold who wrote the script. Or maybe he just does well when paired up with McCarthy, who was one of many highlights in Bridesmaids, of course.

I've always been a fan of Bullock, and I think she's particularly good in comedic roles. The Heat reminds people of just how good she is with the right material. McCarthy gets most of the big laughs, of course, but Bullock does well as the uptight agent who might just learn to loosen up a little bit over the course of the movie. McCarthy really shines here, unlike her turn in the misjudged Identity Thief, and I hope she considers clearing her schedule for any future opportunities to work with Feig, who obviously knows how to get the best out of her.

While none of the other main characters are played by any BIG names, I must say that the supporting cast had a great selection of talent. Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport, Bill Burr, Thomas F. Wilson, Jane Curtin and others all join in with the fun, and everyone seems to have a good time.

The script could have been sharper, the film could have been tightened up a bit (the runtime is just under two hours), and there's a fine line being walked between filling the movie with cliches and having fun with them, but there's plenty here to enjoy, especially for fans of the two leads.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Heat-Blu-ray-UV-Copy/dp/B00DHB410E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391201784&sr=8-2&keywords=the+heat

Grounded AKA Unaccompanied Minors (2006)

Kids having a bit of a riot while stranded in an airport, that's the premise of Grounded AKA Unaccompanied Minors and I must admit that while it did tick all of the usual boxes and while it did start off quite badly, I ended up quite enjoying myself with this one. It's not one that I'll rush to revisit any time soon, and I can't see it ending up with a place in my movie collection, but it has enjoyable moments here and there and it's certainly one that's easy enough to enjoy while the kids are laughing at it.

Basically, a bunch of kids are supposed to be flying on Christmas Eve, but the weather has put an end to that idea. When five of the kids (Charlie, Spencer, 'Beef', Grace and Donna) escape from the Unaccompanied Minors room they have a bit of fun in the airport before being caught by the unhappy head of customer relations (Lewis Black). They're taken back to the UM room and told that they will be staying there for the rest of Christmas Eve, despite the fact that the other kids have all now been taken to a nice lodge along the road. This is particularly bad news for Spencer (Dyllan Christopher), as he knows that he must find a way to get back to his little sister, who is now in the lodge, and ensure that a present "from Santa" is waiting for her when she wakes up. It's a battle of wills between the kids, the head of customer relations and his many staff (including Rob Riggle and Wilmer Valderrama).

Most parts of this movie, admittedly, have been done numerous times before. Better. The script by Jacob Meszaros and Mya Stark doesn't have much bite to it (although Black, Valderrama, Rob Riggle and Rob Corddry get some fun moments) and director Paul Feig simply hits the notes that everyone is waiting for, including at least two montage moments.

Thankfully, the cast adds a lot of fun to the proceedings. The focus may be on Spencer trying to make Christmas right for his sister (Dominique Saldana) but the others get plenty to do. Gia Mantegna is fine as Grace, a typical "princess" type who Spencer ends up taking quite a shine to. Quinn Shephard is the other girl of the group, Donna, a bit of a tomboy, but not without an admirer either. Brett Kelly is quiet, but makes his presence known, as 'Beef'. And last, but by no means least, Tyler James Williams steals the movie as cheeky, but charming, Charlie Goldfinch. Williams is probably best known to people who enjoyed his comedic skills in Everybody Hates Chris and he creates laughter once again, whether he's trying to survive being moved around an airport in a suitcase or getting his groove on with a funky bit of music (the best montage moment). I've already mentioned the adults enough, maybe even too much already, but they do fine with what they're given.

It might start off unsteady, and there's a finale that almost disappears under sugary sweetness, but this has a fun middle section and proves to be fairly amusing, thanks in no small part to Tyler James Williams. Kids should enjoy it, though they probably won't rush to watch it again either.

5/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grounded-DVD/dp/B000MR9F5W/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1357051710&sr=1-1