The hip hop community has been notably supportive of singer Frank Ocean following his coming out on Tumblr, with music royalty like Jay-Z, Kanye West and Russell Simmons all stepping forward to offer their words of support.
Now the Queen, Houston's own Beyoncé Knowles, has issued a goodwill statement on her website for the collaborator on her song "I Miss You," with a giant photo of Ocean and a "poem" she has written on his behalf. (We say "poem" in quotes because it reminds us of an assignment we once had in fourth grade . . .)
But reading it over, we couldn't help but notice how much her message is about Ms "Be" herself. Every line starts with "Be," and these are all the qualities she exemplifies as Sasha Fierce, her "fearless, honest, brave" performance persona.
Is it just an unfortunate side effect of her incomparable celebrity that we can't help but read into it, or did Beyoncé subconsciously make this show of support about herself?
Either way, big snaps for Ocean getting a poem written on his behalf by Beyoncé. It's a brave choice that he made to move forward in this industry that has a pretty terrible history for violent attitudes and expressions towards homosexuality.
And, yes, Beyonce's effort is still entirely sweet. Big ups to her for expressing an open-minded, encouraging take on the matter as an example for Blue Ivy. Any show of support from the royalty of the music business will surely make the industry (and the listening audience) a safer, kinder place.
Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.
Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.
Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).
After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.
Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.
The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.
Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.
Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.
The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.
