Eenie Meanie

Title: Eenie Meanie (2025)
Director: Shawn Simmons
Writer: Shawn Simmons
Studio: Reese Wernick Productions // 20th Century Studios

IMDb Plot: A reformed teenage getaway driver is dragged back into her unsavory past when a former employer offers her a chance to save the life of her chronically unreliable ex-boyfriend.

Joe Says: Eenie Meanie wants to roar, but instead of accelerating it just idles. Samara Weaving is reason enough to stay in the driver’s seat. But for anyone expecting a pulse-pounding ride, this is less of a chase and more of a cautious drive home — on cruise control.

Eenie Meanie wants to roar, but instead of accelerating it just idles. Shawn Simmons’ film has the pieces of a sharp little heist thriller: a lead actress with presence to burn, a setting with character, and a premise that promises speed and danger. Eenie Meanie, however, never uses those pieces to rebuild a new engine; instead, settles for a four-cylinder rental.

At the center is Samara Weaving as Edie — nicknamed “Eenie” — a getaway driver with equal parts skill, nerve, and quiet desperation. She’s a cool cat of a driver, capable, and a little haunted, and she gives the film its pulse. Without her, this engine stalls.

The trouble is, the movie never fully trusts its own momentum.

The opening chase sequence, a taut little number with a Monte Carlo ironically belonging to a bad mutha named Sweetie, teases the ride ahead: fast, stylish, and loaded with the kind of confidence that is so alluring to gamblers and thrill seekers alike. But as the story unfolds, that energy fades. For a film about speed, the movie has an odd habit of slowing down. The Dodge Charger chase from the trailer — clearly intended as the film’s big adrenaline moment — merely sputters. Although technically fine, for a centerpiece it lacks that essential rush, the sense of danger that makes a getaway scene sing — and makes a movie memorable.

Eenie Meanie starring Samara Weaving — *Eenie Meanie* starring Samara Weaving

A quick comparison could place Eenie Meanie next to Baby Driver, but that’s generous. Edgar Wright’s film was a genre evolution — part music video, part crime story. Simmons plays in the same genre sandbox but doesn’t push the boundaries. The Ohio backdrop is an interesting choice and at times, it gives the movie a regional texture that’s welcome. But it also invites comparisons to the indie film Finding Steve McQueen, another Midwest-set crime story that felt more alive in its choices. There is nothing in Eenie Meanie that advances the genre.

If any comparisons were to be made, Eenie Meanie felt more akin to JJ Abrams’ HBO series, Duster. This movie, like that show, had the potential for something truly unique. Neither hit their stride.

For a movie about cars tearing it up, the uneven cast is also unbalanced. Weaving carries the weight, and she’s worth watching. She gives Edie a lived-in weariness and makes the rut she is in completely relatable. Karl Glusman, as John — the on-again, off-again presence in her life — never quite clicks. Simmon’s script bends over backward trying to make him sympathetic, but his toxicity and thin characterization get in the way. Steve Zahn, Chris Bauer, Randall Park, and Andy Garcia are all capable of stealing scenes, but they’re mostly sidelined. Garcia’s Nico — a quiet, mobbed-up figure — is intriguing with clever restraint. Yet there are moments where you can imagine a louder, riskier performance could have turned a good character into a great one. This could have been a helluva hammy role for the late-great James Gandolfini.

Eenie Meanie starring Samara Weaving and Karl Glusman — *Eenie Meanie* starring Samara Weaving and Karl Glusman

Then there’s the script’s tonal drift. What begins as a crime caper shifts into something more like a morality play — a dark one, too — and the transition isn’t seamless. The stakes feel muddled, and the change of gears feels forced rather than earned. Neither half contains the proper weight.

By the end, Eenie Meanie feels like a well-constructed but underpowered machine. It looks the part, it sounds the part, but it never fully lets loose. There’s craft on display — moments of tension, glimpses of sharp character work — but not enough mileage for the vroom. For fans of Weaving, it’s worth a look; she’s reason enough to stay in the driver’s seat. But for anyone expecting a pulse-pounding ride, this is less of a chase and more of a cautious drive home — on cruise control.