December 25 = Cinema

Went to see THE HOUSEMAID / LA FEMME DE MÉNAGE, by Paul Feig.

Some remarks:

1. It's not a very good movie; but:

2. If you are one of the few people on earth (I was one of them) who know nothing of Freida McFadden's novel, the story will seem quite savory; you might even be left dumbfounded.

3. The current "feminist" rewriting (the quotation marks are not, it seems to me, superfluous) of world-old plots, scenarios, and narrative devices would deserve examination; it would deserve reflection; it would deserve an article. Will it get them? That is the question.

4. Sydney Sweeney is not just a friend; her acting talent is superior to what her public image would suggest; usually the opposite is true.

5. And Amanda Seyfried? She's good. You can tell she's yearning for stronger roles. In the last part, she starts to resemble SS: that's not uninteresting. If you've never seen her sing California by Joni Mitchell on Jimmy Fallon, you must. It's something else.