Plot
In 2007 Cleveland, fourteen-year-old Edie Meaney is pulled over by police while driving her drunk parents home from buying drugs at a bar. To save them from prison, Edie's father urges her to speed away, but she crashes the car. Her mother is killed and her father is left a paraplegic, while Edie survives a series of abusive foster homes until she is rescued by John, a young petty criminal. Falling in love, Edie and John carry out numerous robberies for mob boss Nico, who nicknames her "Eenie Meanie".
Fourteen years later, Edie has left her life as a getaway driver behind, and finally broken up with John. Working at a bank to put herself through community college, she is knocked unconscious during a robbery; taken to the hospital, she learns she is pregnant. Against her better judgement, Edie visits John, who is being interrogated by Nico's goons, and reluctantly uses her driving skills to save him.
John reveals he has kidnapped Leo, a card counter in Nico's employ, who refused to help him with a scheme behind Nico's back. Edie demands that they make amends, but Leo is accidentally killed by a passing truck. Furious to be pulled back into John's poor decisions, Edie meets with Nico and his right-hand man George, who hold John accountable for the loss of Leo's earnings. In exchange for sparing John's life, Nico forces Edie to accept a job: stealing a car containing $3 million in cash, the prize for an upcoming poker tournament at a casino in Toledo.
The heist's planning is overseen at Gary's bar by the Chaperone, who considers John a liability, but Edie remains loyal to her ex-boyfriend. With inside help from casino staff and a series of payoffs, the prize Dodge Charger is replaced with an identical model outfitted for the robbery. At the casino, Edie and John run into rival getaway driver Perm Walters, but Nico assures them he is not involved. Suspicious, Edie and John reach out to her father for help, but he has made a reformed life for himself and his new family. Edie tells John she is pregnant, and they spend a romantic night together.
The tournament concludes as the prize money is loaded into the car, and Edie manages to drive the bulletproof Charger off the casino floor. Leading police on a high-speed chase, she is intercepted by Perm. John flips his own car in pursuit and Edie stops to pull him from the wreck, as Perm takes off in the Charger. Failing to find a hidden tracker, Perm is killed in a shootout with John. Edie delivers the cash to Gary and the Chaperone as planned, but John kills them in a desperate plan for him and Edie to take the money for themselves. Realizing his mistake, John promises to change his reckless ways, but Edie shoots him dead.
She brings the money to Nico, who has overlooked George skimming from him for years, but he is heartbroken to realize that George hired Perm. Sharing her childhood dream of a home with more than one bathroom, Edie leaves with a share of the money as Nico disposes of George. Sometime later, Edie has started her own auto repair business and a new life with her son.
Production
In September 2021, it was announced that 20th Century Studios acquired the rights to an untitled thriller written by Wayne creator Shawn Simmons, with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick producing. [4] In July 2023, it was announced that the film was titled Eenie Meanie, with Simmons as director and Samara Weaving attached to star. [5] In March 2024, Karl Glusman joined the film. [6] Kyanna Simon and Randall Park joined in April 2024. [7] The next month, Andy Garcia, Jermaine Fowler, Marshawn Lynch, Chris Bauer, Steve Zahn, and Mike O'Malley joined the cast. [8]
Filming began by April 24, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio, under the working title Stickshift and with Tim Ives as cinematographer. [9] [10] Filming also took place in Lakewood and Toledo, with the Hollywood Casino being used as a location; shooting caused detours for the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority 10L and 14 bus routes. [11] [12] [2] It wrapped up on June 29. [13]
Reception
Viewership
Eenie Meanie entered Hulu's "Top 15 Today" list—a daily updated list of the platform's most-watched titles—a day after its premiere, climbing to No. 8 on the weekly list of the most-watched titles in the United States. It was the second highest-performing movie on the platform, behind the survival thriller The Bayou (No. 3). [16] JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 20 million users around the world, reported that Eenie Meanie was the most-streamed film in the U.S. from August 18–24. [17] The following week, from August 25–31, it ranked as the third most-streamed film. [18]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 42% of 48 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "A tonal mishmash that never quite comes together, Eenie Meanie gets enough appeal from star Samara Weaving to avoid being a total "miney d'oh," but it doesn't have enough originality to catch a tiger by the toe." [19] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [20]
John Nugent of Empire gave Eenie Meanie 4 out of 5 stars, calling it a "rollicking crime comedy with enough punchy jokes and exhilarating action" that deserves a wider audience due to its energetic direction and vibrant humor. [21] Ben Gibbons of Screen Rant rated the film 7/10, praising it as a thrilling and engaging action dramedy that expertly blends genres and delivers a coherent, gripping story, highlighting Samara Weaving's strong performance and the film's ability to balance emotion with high-energy action. [22] Bill Bria of /Film also rated it 7/10, believing the film successfully merges thrilling action with a nuanced exploration of morality while showcasing Weaving's standout performance. [23]
Carla Meyer of San Francisco Chronicle considered Eenie Meanie an enjoyable heist film that offers "mindless fun" with strong performances and authentic action, despite its derivative elements and a late tonal shift that undermines its initial charm. [24] William Bibbiani of TheWrap similarly praised the film for its "snappy dialogue, cool car chase, and great cast", but noted that it ultimately lacks memorability and could benefit from more dynamic action sequences. [25] Benjamin Lee at The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and described the film as "a bumpy road" for audiences, feeling it is out of place in its streaming context; while it showcases effective action and Weaving's lead performance, it ultimately lacks originality and emotional depth in Shawn Simmons's screenplay. [3]
Natalie Winkelman of The New York Times found Eenie Meanie to be a chaotic heist film filled with "cheap thrills and tawdry action", struggling to balance self-awareness with serious melodrama. [1] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the film 1 out of 4 stars, criticizing it for its "lack of identity and almost zero organic tension", describing it as a heavy rip-off of Quentin Tarantino and Edgar Wright 's films, with no "thrills, stakes, or characters to care about". [26] Brianna Zigler of The A.V. Club described the film as a watchable yet frustrating heist drama in her C- review, deeming it ultimately condescending to its female lead for reinforcing regressive themes about women being defined by their relationships with men. [27]
