Eenie Meanie (2025) Review!!!

Synopsis – 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.

My Take – While we quietly wait for Edgar Wright to finally deliver on the much rumored follow-up to Baby Driver (2017), Hulu has coaxed up an entertaining and stylish entry into the canon of films about getaway drivers.

Produced by ‘Deadpool‘ scribes Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick, Shawn Simmons’ feature directorial debut is a fast and fun blend of both gritty heist flick thrills and downbeat character drama that keeps the pedal down from start to finish.

A popcorn feature done right. Being a messy mix of shootouts, sharp banter, mobsters, and an unexpected pregnancy, it gives the viewer plenty of spectacle & laughs, and more than enough substance to make the whole thing worthwhile. It’s the kind of low key action-comedy that studios have reduced making over the years.

Sure, at times, the story might feel predictable, yet thanks to writer-director Simmons‘ ambition, some incredible stunt work, and Samara Weaving‘s impressive lead performance, the film ends up being a satisfyingly well-rounded experience. Making it a good recommendation for viewers who enjoy fast-paced thrillers that have complex characters combined with high-stakes tension.

The story follows Edie (Samara Weaving), a former foster youth who has spent her teenage years as a getaway driver for a Cleveland crime boss, Nico (Andy Garcia). But now employed at a bank and enrolled in community college to study economics, she is trying to leave her troubled past behind, with a hope of building a new and honest life.

However, her attempt to maintain a peaceful life is shattered when Edie find out that she is pregnant and is dragged back into the dark world from which she desperately wanted to escape by her reckless ex-boyfriend John (Karl Glusman), who is once again in trouble.

In order to clear his massive debt, Edie is forced back to work for Nico, who wants her to resume her role as the best getaway driver around to pull off a massive heist at a local casino worth millions of dollars. To which Edie reluctantly agrees and puts her into struggle with her morality, survival, and loyalty.

What follows leans into full-on heist film territory, complete with a ragtag crew, double-crosses, and botched plans. But what is really appealing is that director Simmons finds the heart of the narrative through Edie, a young woman who genuinely wants to move on from her past. He injects some human drama in the form of her tense relationship with her father (Steve Zahn), and Edie and John’s fraught history.

The deeper Edie and John get into their troubles, their relationship becomes fascinating. It’s always clear that John is a liability in almost every situation, only has moments of ingenuity, and will just keep dragging Edie further down into the abyss. We as viewer actively roots for Edie to get away from this guy, but writer Simmons crafts the characters’ backstories in such an intricate way that her loyalty for this waste of a human being doesn’t feel entirely misplaced.

There’s a large amount of feeling and truth on display throughout the film that elevates it above the level of a traditional heist yarn, especially when the story takes a darkly unexpected turn late in the film, and is handled with an appropriate amount of seriousness for something that has been relatively light in tone up to that point.

He also proves to have a flair for action films, unsurprising considering he wrote the “John Wick” spinoff Peacock series ‘The Continental.’ While there are only a handful of actual car chase sequences, but they are all expertly filmed. In the end, the film doesn’t reinvent the crime thriller or add much to the tradition it borrows from, but it does what it sets out to do: deliver a wild, fast, slightly disposable ride that fans of pulpy crime stories will be happy to hop on.

Performance wise, Samara Weaving is once again impressive as her equally loaded vulnerability and inner fortitude carries the film, and helps careen it over its rougher spots. She is a character that’s easy to empathize and sympathize even as she takes desperate measures to ensure her survival and, in the process, her future. Karl Glusman has a tricky needle to thread with this character, making him all at once comic relief, romantic lead, and wild card. It’s a combination that he pulls it off with aplomb.

Andy Garcia is, of course, a welcome presence as always, bringing gravitas to his mobster while making him believably quirky. Marshawn Lynch makes for a solid antagonist, while Jermaine Fowler is an intriguing presence. In supporting roles, Mike O’Malley, Kyanna Simone, Steve Zahn, Chris Bauer and Randall Park are effective. On the whole, ‘Eenie Meanie‘ is a fun crime caper that is raucous, silly and action-packed.