AndyGarcia – Credits Rolling

Wrapped up in a world of getaway driving from the age of fourteen, Edie (Samara Weaving) has been trying to break the cycle ever since. When her former boss Nico (Andy Garcia) offers her the chance at pulling off one last job, she can’t say no, especially when it means saving her ex boyfriend’s (Karl Glusman) life.

Fans of Baby Driver may flock to Eenie Meanie expecting a similar story. While it never reaches the same heights, it is entertaining enough to keep you invested throughout. With the many impressive car chase sequences, hilarious banter and a talented ensemble cast I couldn’t help but wonder how it didn’t ever come together in the way I was hoping it would.

Weaving once again proves that she is a solid leading lady. Not only is she the bright spot here, she was probably the only reason I wanted to watch the film in the first place. She gives Edie so many layers and is really the driving force of the story. It’s hard for anybody else to compare. Glusman is quite something as John, Edie’s ex. Underneath it all he wants to do the right thing, but he’s just so awful that it’s hard to be reminded of that. I understand why Edie isn’t able to just cut him out of her life, but she deserved so much better. The other characters were like caricatures of heist films of the past: Jermaine Fowler as The Chaperone, Marshawn Lynch as Perm, Randall Park as Leo, Mike O’Malley as Leo and of course Andy Garcia as the ring leader of them all Nico. They were criminally underused and as a result I found it difficult to really care about any of them.

Somewhere along the way, the film starts losing sight of what it’s really trying to be. I would have been totally fine with an action adventure flick and a bit of romance on the side if it was earned. Instead it just became too convoluted. As a result, I missed out on some major plot points because I just could not separate them from one another.

Overall, Eenie Meanie had all the ingredients of a great heist film, but it ultimately fell short. Samara Weaving was the only bright point in what was otherwise a lacklustre project. Had it been much tighter and well thought out, it would have been a home run. Because of that there are definitely better films of the genre out there that are more worth your time.

Rating: ♥️♥️.5

From director David Yates of various Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films comes Pain Hustlers. The story follows down on her luck mom Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) who is dreaming of a better life for herself and her daughter Phoebe (Chloe Coleman). Thanks to a chance encounter with one Pete Brenner (Chris Evans), she lands a job at the failing pharmaceutical company where he works. As drastic changes begin to occur, she can’t help but wonder if it’s been for better or for worse.

I was looking forward to this one. A film helmed by two of the biggest stars of today? Sign me right up! Unfortunately that’s about all it had going for it. So where did it all go wrong?

First and foremost, this is not the first time we’ve seen the subject tackled. This year alone we’ve had various takes on similar drug crises. This take unfortunately doesn’t add much to what we already know. There’s nothing wrong with that per se, but it doesn’t shed the light on anything new and therefore doesn’t stand out from the crowd.

The performances here are enjoyable enough. Blunt is believable as the scrappy mom who will do whatever she can to provide for her daughter. I wanted to root for her even when she continued to make questionable choices, though she certainly made it hard. Evans, on the other hand, has been playing similar variations of the same character for a while now and it’s beginning to feel tired. The two did have a good chemistry though that made their scenes work. The supporting cast in Catherine O’Hara as Liza’s mother, Andy Garcia as Dr. Neel and Brian D’Arcy James as Dr. Lydell were fine enough.

I truly believe if Pain Hustlers came out at a different point in time, it would have had more of an impact. The story is an important one, but it’s something we’ve seen many times before which didn’t help. I wanted so badly to like it, but my expectations simply weren’t met. I hate to say that it felt like a slog to get through, but I’d be lying if I didn’t.

Rating: ♥️♥️.5