Eenie Meanie Review: Shawn Simmons’ Tonally Inconsistent Debut Feature Boasts Samara Weaving’s Engrossing Performance and Thrilling Car Chases
Eenie Meanie, which marks the directorial debut of Shawn Simmons, the co-creator behind TV’s The Continental, could have been a great crime thriller. Besides, the movie gets off to a promising first act, beginning with a prologue where then-teenager Edie (Elle Graham) made a decision that forever changed her life for the sake of her troubled parents (Steve Zahn and Chelsey Crisp). Fast-forward to the present day, the now-adult Edie (Samara Weaving) has already turned over a new leaf after leaving her criminal past behind. She used to work as a getaway driver for crime boss, Nico (Andy Garcia), but that’s history. She’s now working at a bank and attending a community college. So far, so good.
Except that the past is somehow pulling her back in, even when she’s trying her best to avoid it. It all started with her finding out that she’s unexpectedly pregnant, and the father of her child turns out to be a no-good ex-boyfriend, John (Karl Glusman). She decides to go see him, and that day is a stroke of bad luck after she finds him in trouble. This leads to a series of messy screw-up from a scene where John goes full Jackie Chan mode, running around butt naked, to a high-speed getaway, showcasing Edie’s nimble driving skills behind the wheel.
It’s nice to see a car chase shot practically in an old-school way, complete with a dynamic camerawork that brings a visceral sense of energy. Then, there’s the funny introduction of Leo the card counter, played by Randall Park in a memorable role that ends up, well, you have to see it for yourself. For a while there, Simmons’ direction finds a proper footing, and I sure hope the rest of the movie is just as good.
It’s just too bad that isn’t the case, particularly when the movie trudges along the sluggish midsection. I mean, it should have been more interesting, given the subsequent story revolving around the reluctant Edie agrees to become a getaway driver to help her old boss, Nico, pull off an upcoming casino heist worth US$3 million. The movie then introduces more colourful characters, one of which includes Perm Walters (Marshawn Lynch), another driver working for Nico, who doesn’t particularly play nice with Edie.
Simmons tries to spice things up by incorporating quirky verbal and often profanity-laden exchanges revolving around a bunch of characters dealing with each other and such. But what I have here is a series of rapid-fire banters that are mostly a hit-and-miss affair. The movie keeps stalling its momentum with Simmons attempting to get serious with the added melodramatic route, resulting in an ill-advised, tonally inconsistent result. I’m okay if a director wanted to blend action, comedy and drama, but in the case of Simmons, his mix-and-match tonal shift is more of a bumpy ride rather than something that resembles a cohesive whole.
Just when I thought the movie was sputtering to a halt, thanks to the protracted second act, Simmons manages to pick up the pace again in the action-packed third act once the casino heist takes place. Edie once again puts her driving skills to good use, with an extended car chase from the interior of the casino building to the streets filled with cop cars on pursuit, before culminating in a race track against her rival, Perm. Like the first act, the car chase is thrillingly staged with enough propulsive flair.
And yet, the otherwise redeeming factor is dampened again with a sharp detour of an ending. Let’s just say it feels underwhelming with the way Simmons chooses to wrap up his story. Apart from the exhilarating car chase, Eenie Meanie benefits from Samara Weaving’s lively performance as Edie, and she pairs well with her co-star, Karl Glusman, as Edie’s ex-boyfriend, who is nothing but constant trouble to her. Too bad it’s hard to ignore most of the shortcomings that hinder the movie from reaching its full potential, making it an unfortunate missed opportunity.
Eenie Meanie is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
