Pop Culture Happy Hour: “The Housemaid”

Episode Date: December 22, 2025
Panelists: Aisha Harris (host), Jordan Crucciola, Roxanna Hadadi

Episode Overview

This episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour dives into The Housemaid, the new twisty psychological thriller directed by Paul Feig, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. The panel thoroughly explores the movie's high-camp sensibility, its performances (especially Sweeney and Seyfried), the dynamics both on- and off-screen, and where this film fits within the resurgence of the women’s domestic thriller genre.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. First Impressions and Genre Tone

[04:20] – [05:42]

• Roxanna admits initial skepticism:

  "Started with me being like, what is this even? It is not working for me. And then there is a point like a quarter of the way through where I was like, actually this is genius filmmaking and maybe we should make new Oscars for what is happening in the Housemaid."

• She appreciates the film's embrace of “high camp, high trash” energy reminiscent of ‘90s women-led domestic thrillers.
• Jordan puts the movie in context with Paul Feig’s previous works:

  "This is Paul Feig operating in my favorite mode of his… paperback airport novel Paul Feig with, like ladies at the center doing harm to each other in inventive and at times homoerotic ways." [05:47]

• All agree that the movie’s deliberate silliness and tonal playfulness make it a crowd-pleaser, best enjoyed with an audience.

2. Crowd Experience and Nostalgia

[07:31] – [08:31]

• Aisha emphasizes the communal value:

  “This is a movie that absolutely benefits from being seen with a bunch of people… sometimes you just want to see a movie where other people are gonna make the same noises that you are when something weird happens.” [07:31]

• Roxanna reminisces about ‘90s thrillers, calling this “embrace tradition. Return to your roots” filmmaking.

3. Sydney Sweeney’s Performance and Public Image

[09:04] – [13:17]

• Discussion of Sweeney’s career arc, her controversial American Eagle campaign, and how her public persona interacts with the roles she takes:

  “Some people are very focused on her personal life and her supposed political alignments. But then the movies she's in tend to be these types of movies that are very much like, if not flat out feminist, they are about women overcoming the patriarchy.” – Aisha Harris [09:33]

• Jordan lauds Sweeney’s screen presence:

  “She is so good in this. She is so good in Immaculate. She is so good as Cassie in Euphoria… I would love to see her commit to this lane.” [11:07]

• Roxanna critiques her range as an actor, but finds her perfectly cast here:

  “She has a limited range that in this film is perfect for what this film is asking her to do… For this film, which is asking Amanda Seyfried to do huge over the top, like, mood swing acting, having Sydney Sweeney be the blank quote unquote, normal character… is super effective.” [13:17]

4. Comparing Sweeney to Other Actresses

[14:32] – [16:46]

• Jordan introduces a nuanced take:

  “There's not a problem with being a specific talent. To compare her talent to that of like an Amanda Seyfried and be like, these two actors should be the same thing is absolutely not the case.” [14:32]

• The conversation expands to how actors navigate Hollywood’s typecasting, mentioning Blake Lively and Dakota Johnson as analogous cases.

5. Amanda Seyfried’s Performance & On-Screen Dynamic

[17:21] – [18:49]

• Aisha and Roxanna heap praise on Seyfried for bringing nuance and operatic intensity:

  “She can really dance that line. And there are so many twists and turns in this movie… I was still very, very just enraptured with the way this performance plays out.” – Aisha [17:24]

• Roxanna highlights a standout moment:

  “…Amanda Seyfried's character is in her SUV and she's doing a classic move that we all recognize where she goes from sobbing maniacally to laughing maniacally. And it takes, like, a certain kind of act to pull that off.” [20:45]

6. Trope Awareness and Genre Playfulness

[18:49] – [21:04]

• The film knowingly incorporates soapy genre tropes—the mysterious groundskeeper, gossipy neighbor moms, the unlikable child—while clearly winking at the audience.

  “What the movie does so well is it takes all these... very recognizable, like, tropey elements of this genre at this point and, like, winks at you the whole time.” – Roxanna [18:49]

7. Career Context for Amanda Seyfried

[21:04] – [22:46]

• Seyfried’s current moment as a performer is compared to Julianne Moore:

  “If there's one person whose filmography is balanced between like, like prestige dazzle you and absolute junk dazzle you, it is Julianne Moore.” – Jordan [21:37]

• The panel reflects on Seyfried’s journey from Mean Girls to prestige projects, and her ability to ground even the silliest material.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Maybe we should make new Oscars for what is happening in The Housemaid."
  – Roxanna Hadadi, [04:24]
• "This is genius filmmaking and maybe we should make new Oscars for what is happening in The Housemaid."
  – Roxanna Hadadi, [04:24]
• "Paperback airport novel Paul Feig with, like, ladies at the center doing harm to each other in inventive and at times homoerotic ways."
  – Jordan Crucciola, [05:47]
• "Give me a bunny boiler. Give me a bunny boiler."
  – Jordan Crucciola, referencing classic femme fatale tropes, [08:55]
• "She has a limited range that in this film is perfect for what this film is asking her to do."
  – Roxanna Hadadi, on Sydney Sweeney, [13:17]
• "I'm a cinema traditionalist, 100%."
  – Jordan Crucciola, [08:21]
• "If you bought big love stock, y', all, we are cashing in. It is cashing in."
  – Jordan Crucciola, speaking about Amanda Seyfried’s career trajectory, [23:00]
• "This sort of, like, B movie genre film paired with Testament of Anne Lee finally feels like the moment where you're like, oh, like Mean Girls. And Veronica Mars star Amanda Seyfried has the range, and I just think that's really fun."
  – Roxanna Hadadi, [21:06]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction & Movie Setup: [03:22] – [04:20]
• First Impressions: [04:20] – [05:42]
• Crowd Experience & Genre Nostalgia: [07:31] – [08:31]
• Sydney Sweeney Discussion: [09:04] – [13:17]
• Comparing Sweeney/Typecasting: [14:32] – [16:46]
• Amanda Seyfried Highlight & Character Dynamics: [17:21] – [18:49], [20:45]
• Genre Tropes & Playfulness: [18:49] – [21:04]
• Amanda Seyfried’s Career Context: [21:04] – [22:46]
• Final Thoughts & Sign-off: [23:00] – [23:34]

Conclusion

The panel finds The Housemaid a highly enjoyable, self-aware thriller that embraces its pulpy roots and delivers a fun, communal moviegoing experience. Both Sydney Sweeney’s and Amanda Seyfried’s performances are praised within the film’s context—Sweeney for her self-aware casting, Seyfried for her range and verve.

The episode serves as both a sharp, slightly irreverent breakdown of the movie and a broader conversation about Hollywood’s treatment of genre films, typecasting, and the joys of experiencing deliciously over-the-top thrillers on the big screen, with friends.