The Pickup Movie Review – STREAMING MOVIE NIGHT

2025 Amazon MGM Studios

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 34min

Action ~ Comedy

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Eva Longoria, and Keke Palmer.

They’re Armed But She’s Dangerous

FROM AMAZON MGM STUDIOS:

The Pickup starring Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Eva Longoria, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Jack Kesy, Andrew Dice Clay, Marshawn Lynch, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i and Keke Palmer premiered on Amazon Prime Video last night, Wednesday August 6, 2025. In the action-comedy, 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.

The Pickup brings together two generations of comedy for an explosive and hilarious partnership that showcases the chemistry between old-school experience and new-wave energy. In addition to Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, and Keke Palmer, the film features a diverse cast including Eva Longoria, Marshawn Lynch, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i, Andrew Dice Clay, and Ismael Cruz Córdova. Directed by Tim Story, who’s known for his work on The Blackening, Barbershop and Ride Along, the film blends high-octane action with sharp humor.

THE REVIEW:

I remember a different Eddie Murphy than the one I saw in this movie. It seemed like a watered down version of the explosive comedy rawness of the Eddie I remember, Saturday Night Live, Raw, Beverly Hills Cop. I watched Beverly Hills Cop 4 and I couldn’t hang, couldn’t finish. It was a trip down memory lane that should have happened decades ago, instead it looked more like a sad “where are they now…oh..in the old folks home” story about a bunch of have beens. That’s harsh I know, but it’s true. The same applies here, it seems like Eddie Murphy is trying to regain his stature before he heads into old age obscurity.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer and Andrew Dice Clay. It was nice to see Andrew but it seems more like a nostalgic trip than an action comedy movie. It almost seemed more like an endless bunch of skits. To quote Randy Jackson, “It was just alright for me dog.” The witty banter between Pete and Eddie seemed forced, like they were reading for a skit. The two thugs working for Keke were kind of corny. Not really believable. And the plot and some of the action was just too over the top, almost too silly to be believable.

We were promised, to quote the studio, ” high-octane action with sharp humor”. The action was more like regular unleaded and the humor for the most part was pretty dull. The partnership between Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson was described as explosive and hilarious;” The Pickup brings together two generations of comedy for an explosive and hilarious partnership that showcases the chemistry between old-school experience and new-wave energy. Nah, it just kinda fell flat. But again, to quote Randy, it was just alright. Worth a watch, sure. A second time….nah.