THE PICKUP (AMAZON PRIME) (2025)

SYNOPSIS: In THE PICKUP, a routine cash pickup takes a wild turn when two mismatched armored truck drivers, RUSSELL (Eddie Murphy) and TRAVIS (Pete Davidson), are ambushed by ruthless criminals led by a savvy mastermind, ZOE (Keke Palmer), with plans that go way beyond the cash cargo. As chaos unfolds around them, the unlikely duo must navigate high-risk danger, clashing personalities, and one very bad day that keeps getting worse. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

There was a time when action comedies were genuinely good—the action was thrilling, the jokes were sharp, and the chemistry between characters felt natural. Fast forward to 2025, where streaming dominates the entertainment landscape, and action comedies have largely devolved into lazy, mindless affairs—pale imitations of the classics from the ’80s and ’90s.

Enter The Pickup, the latest action-comedy misfire starring a once-hilarious Eddie Murphy and SNL alumnus Pete Davidson. Directed by Tim Story (best known for the original two Fantastic Four films for Fox), the film follows veteran armored van driver Russell (Murphy) and his new partner, Travis (Davidson), on what should have been Russell’s 25th wedding anniversary.

Things quickly go sideways when their vehicle is hijacked by Travis’s one-night stand partner, Zoe (Keke Palmer), and her two henchmen. With no phone reception and a remote stretch of road ahead, Zoe coerces the duo into helping her rob a casino safe. There’s supposedly a personal vendetta between her and the casino owners but the backstory is so incoherent, it’s not worth digging into.

Murphy plays it straight as the world-weary Russell, a man who dreams of retiring and running a quiet bed-and-breakfast with his Latina wife Natalie (Eva Longoria). Davidson’s Travis, meanwhile, is an irresponsible slacker and math prodigy who bizarrely aspires to join the police force. Their odd-couple dynamic is supposed to drive the film’s humor—two guys stuck in a van, forced to get along but the banter fizzles out barely ten minutes in. Whatever comedic spark the duo might’ve had gets lost in recycled one-liners and mismatched energy.

To Tim Story’s credit, he squeezes in a fair amount of old-school car chases and action scenes into the brisk 90-minute runtime. But even those moments feel hollow, as the roads are mysteriously empty and the stunts defy all logic. This is the kind of cartoonish comedy where villains survive multiple car crashes without so much as a scratch.

As for the casino heist? Don’t bother. The entire sequence descends into over-the-top absurdity and feels more like a low-budget fantasy than a grounded action set piece. It’s especially disappointing considering Murphy’s recent turn in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, where he showed signs of a comedic comeback. Here, he just seems to be going through the motions. Davidson gets a few chuckles with his R-rated zingers, and Palmer tries hard—perhaps too hard—to sell herself as a femme fatale with a grudge.

The Pickup does feature a few practical action scenes that keep it from being a complete write-off, but those fleeting moments of excitement are buried under a weak story, tired jokes, and performances that feel more contractual than committed. Ultimately, it’s a forgettable ride that barely gets out of first gear.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee