EENIE MEANIE Review: Samara Weaving, Force of Nature, Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place

"Regret is all I have."

Eenie Meanie
The film is now streaming on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney Plus in Canada and elsewhere.

Samara Weaving is a force of nature.

In roles that have maximized her capacity for ferocity, beginning especially with Mayhem (2017) and continuing through Ready or Not (2019) and Azrael (2024), she has been unstoppable. Whether the role calls for her to mix horror and comedy or high intensity and low humor, she embodies the characters she is playing with an unmistakable sense of mission.

In her latest, Eenie Meanie, the feature directorial debut of television writer Shawn Simmons (Wayne, The Continental), she plays Edie, who has stepped off a wild merry-go-round of criminal activity as a renowned getaway driver. Struggling to make ends meet, she is still figuring things out in her relatively new life, on the way to an upstanding civilian lifestyle, when circumstances force her to cross paths with John, her ne'er do well ex-boyfriend, whom she finds in the midst of yet another unhappy encounter with two physically intimidating gentlemen of the criminal persuasion.

Edie and John were in a long-term relationship dating back to their teens. Thinking that she has moved past that era of her life, Edie has no desire to reconnect with her old beau, but he's in trouble -- again!, no surprise -- and she is the only one who can bail him out of a very bad situation that threatens his life, courtesy of gangster Nico (Andy Garcia).

Her heart too kind to abandon John in his hour of need, Edie must team up with him to complete One Last Job, which never goes well in any kind of movie that involves criminal activity, former lovers, and plenty of cash.

Shawn Simmons' script includes a number of twists and turns that are easy to anticipate, yet it also features clever banter, along with several curves that I didn't see coming. The action is not continuous, but two vehicular chases in particular, one early and one late, are worthy standouts, endangering lives aplenty and crashing cars with aplomb.

Everything revolves around Samara Weaving as Edie, and she is more than up to the demands of the character, whether she is furiously angry or genuinely confused or ruefully dramatic or quietly devastated. When she gets behind the wheel of any automobile, we are confident that she knows what she is doing and that she will arrive at her destination.

Just stay out of her way. And appreciate the stiff breeze that follows in her wake.

Karl Glusman nails the wacky nature of his lovable-loser personality. Andy Garcia barely moves and can still terrify with just a tightening of his eyes. Jermaine Fowler and Marshawn Lynch are effective in their supporting roles.

A fine late-summer arrival, Eeenie Meanie is a perfect excuse for staying inside on a hot day and watching a cool little movie.