Eenie Meanie is really a tale of two movies. It’s got parts of an action heist film and other parts of a dramatic, romantic relationship movie. Both parts conflict a bit with one another, especially with the pacing of the film, but through an absolutely electric performance from Samara Weaving, the film ends up working. Eenie Meanie comes from writer/director Shawn Simmons and it tells the story of Edie “Eenie Meanie” (played by Samara Weaving). She’s been in trouble with the law for her whole life and comes from a background as a getaway driver. When it looks like her life is turning a corner, Edie gets back involved with the criminal enterprise because her unreliable ex-boyfriend runs into some trouble.

Her boyfriend, John (played by Karl Glusman) ends up on the bad side of crime boss Nico (Andy Garcia), he owes him $3 million for the death of a card counter. That leads everyone to the heist of a poker tournament’s winnings or else John is going to face a fate worse than death. Along the way we meet other characters including the members of their own team, a rogue getaway driver named Perm (played awesomely by Marshawn Lynch), and we learn about Edie and John’s relationship.

So without further ado, let’s dive into the good, the bad, and the ugly of Eenie Meanie.

The Good Of Eenie Meanie

When Eenie Meanie is moving a mile a minute and really humming along, that’s where the movie is at its best. These characters are the interesting part of the whole thing. The criminal aspect of the film and how all these parts fit together is where I was really invested. Nico is an interesting antagonist/criminal boss because he’s slightly inept, or at least he plays off like he doesn’t know much. The team that Edie and he bring together for the job is also equally as interesting. Nico’s motivations are also quite intriguing because you never know what he’s going to do.

Samara Weaving is the reason to see this film, though. Her performance is layered, and she’s equally as great in the more action-heavy scenes as she is in the dramatic heavy stuff. How she deals with all of this frenetic energy around her is really compounded with the ending of the film. It’s a swing from Shawn Simmons and it mostly works for me.

Steve Zahn has a small role as Edie’s Dad, but as usual, he’s fantastic. The way you’re led to believe his character is and then how he actually turns out is quite shocking. Marshawn Lynch also, is amazing. He’s part of some of the best action scenes in the film and his verbal battle with John in the middle of the film works quite well.

The humor of the film also shines at points with some touching moments, shocking ones, and even some jokes at Tesla’s expense.

The Bad And Ugly Of Eenie Meanie

John just did not work for me. He’s played off like a loveable loser by Karl Glusman, but he just felt like a loser throughout. The relationship between Edie and John is supposed to be lopsided; she’s stuck with him for this long because he’s saved her life plenty of times. But it just feels kind of forced. Glusman’s performance shines through, especially in the ending of the film, but his character and their relationship just didn’t work for me.

The wild swings in tone throughout the film also didn’t work as well as they could have. Like I said before, the movie feels like it’s trying to do two things and while it’s thrilling when there’s plenty of action, the more drama-heavy moments don’t shine as much. Nico also makes a somewhat strange out-of-left-field decision in the third act that makes little sense.

Overall, Eenie Meanie is still a serviceable actioner with a mix of drama. Samara Weaving carries the entire film on her back.

Eenie Meanie releases on Hulu on August 22nd.

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