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Weaving fuels star power into comedy thriller ‘Eenie Meanie’
Samara Weaving stars as a former getaway driver dragged back into her unsavory past in “Eenie Meanie,” streaming on Hulu.
20th Century Studios
Lifestyle, Movie Review, Movie Reviews

Weaving fuels star power into comedy thriller ‘Eenie Meanie’

So often today, streaming services have been the dumping ground for the mid-budget movies that used to be reliable moneymakers on the big screen. But with studios now focusing on either $150 million blockbuster tentpoles or $5 million indies, the $50 million genre picture that isn’t trying to score with all four audience quadrants is forced elsewhere.

That is the unfortunate fate of “Eenie Meanie,” the comedy crime thriller made for $50 million that was unceremoniously released on Hulu last week as Disney and 20th Century Studios prepare to release the new “Predator” and “Tron” movies this fall.

Which is a shame because “Eenie Meanie” is exactly the type of movie audiences should be seeing in theaters more often. With a range of easy and clever comedy writing throughout, some nicely executed action scenes and enough heart to carry audiences across the finish line, it’s one of the easiest watches you could get by pressing play on your TV.

Edie Meanie (played by Samara Weaving), a former teenage getaway driver who’s gone straight for seven years, is dragged back into her unsavory past when a former employer, Cleveland crime boss Nico (Andy Garcia), offers her a chance to save the life of her chronically unreliable ex-boyfriend, John (Karl Glusman).

To save John, who fell foul of an old crime boss, Edie — nicknamed “Eenie Meanie” by Nico — agrees to be the getaway driver for a casino heist. Hoping this final job can mean they’re finally out and can start a new life together, Edie eventually realizes that John cannot change and decides to take matters into her own hands.

From the start, this is the Samara Weaving show. Except for a short prologue showing Edie as a teen and the life she came from, Weaving is on screen or at least somewhere in every scene for the whole runtime. And as a make-or-break decision, she gives it her all and makes this character believable and easy to root for.

Before the action goes down and things go from bad to worse, Edie is trying to live life as normally as possible. She has a best friend, a job as a bank teller and is in the middle of taking courses at the local community college, but underneath it all, she still has all those skills from her past at the ready for when they’re needed.

And they’re needed within 5 seconds of reconnecting with her ex, John, a disaster of a person who is dumber than he looks and looks pretty dumb to begin with. Of course, within a matter of minutes, Edie is rescuing him and trying to outpace a pair of heavies in an SUV in the first of any solid action scenes.

As fun as the action is, with a nice sprinkling of physical comedy and clever wordplay throughout, no one Edie interacts with except for John ascends past caricatures of characters. Take Garcia’s Nico, a pale imitation of his characters in “Ocean’s Eleven” or “The Godfather: Part III.” We know Garcia is great, but he’s given so little to do that any more than minimum effort would be a waste of his time and energy.

Thankfully, “Eenie Meanie” moves along at a brisk pace with both our heroes and the situations constantly in motion. Of course, that can get a little confusing as the layers of the planned heist begin to stack up and the team is assembled. The humor keeps things light, but the occasional dips into more serious subplots aren’t quite given the time and attention they deserve.

After a brief intro, Edie unexpectedly reconnects with her deadbeat dad, whom she hadn’t seen in 18 years. Played by Steve Zahn (who, it’s hard to believe, is now 57 and can play a 33-year-old Weaving’s father), the wheelchair-bound Dad Meaney offers Edie some catharsis and closure on her past, but wedged amid the comedic casino heist and car chases, it feels like something from a totally different movie.

But in his feature film debut behind the camera, Shawn Simmons’s mostly solid screenplay lays the foundation and his clean, focused direction propels the story, making “Eenie Meanie” a far more enjoyable crime comedy caper than its banishment to streaming-only status would suggest.

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