The Pickup
Murphy Looks Bored, And So Do We
For those of us who grew up in the ’90s (like me), The Pickup ends up feeling more nostalgic than particularly funny or exciting. You get an ageless Eddie Murphy (seriously, doesn’t he ever age?), a “Directed by Tim Story” credit (Fantastic Four, Taxi), and a score packed with “yeah! yeah!” vocals and techno beats. Add to that a plot full of half-baked motivations and excuses for cool stunts and explosions, and it feels exactly like the kind of movie you’d stumble upon in a $5 DVD bin while looking for a quick hit of entertainment. In 2025, that bin has been replaced by your streaming service’s homepage—this time, Prime Video. And for those in the mood, The Pickup is just competent enough to deliver a mildly entertaining ride. It’s neither clever, nor hilarious, nor thrilling—but it’s fine.
The film pairs Eddie Murphy with Pete Davidson—two SNL comedians from different decades. Murphy now plays the straight man (a sort of Danny Glover type), while Davidson does his usual “well-meaning idiot” routine. Their foil is Zoe (Keke Palmer), a confident and unpredictable thief who hijacks the armored truck they’re driving in order to intercept a $60 million pickup in Atlantic City. Chases, shootouts, hostages, and betrayals fill the screen as expected, blending comedy with action at every turn—though it’s the action that surprisingly comes out ahead.
What helps this one stand out among other streaming originals is, first, the runtime—who doesn’t feel a little joy when they see “90 minutes” pop up on screen?—and second, how refreshingly small-scale the whole thing feels. The plot is simple and doesn’t get in its own way, letting the chase sequences take center stage. Those scenes are well-executed, with clean, fast editing and actual stunt work on display. Cars flip, characters dangle from moving vehicles, and while the empty streets rob the action of real danger, it’s still satisfying to see things done practically for a change. The score, though generic, gives the scenes a decent sense of propulsion, and the third act delivers a solid enough climax.
The comedy, however, is much more uneven. Of the trio, Palmer is the only one who consistently gets laughs. She plays up her character’s ambiguity and manages the film’s light dramatic turns without ever going overboard. Davidson, oddly, feels muted. He sits in a strange middle ground—not quite dumb enough to be funny or endearing, but just annoying enough to wear thin. He’s done better versions of this persona before, and here, he mostly yells dumb things (except for one moment where he solves a math problem, for some reason).
The weakest link, though, is—surprisingly—Murphy himself. As a producer and one of the first names attached to the project, it’s hard not to imagine what drew him in. He’s bored and boring. He plays the grounded center of the duo, but instead of reacting to Davidson’s nonsense with charm or timing, Murphy mostly just looks irritated. The dynamic never sparks. His few attempts to break into his old comedic mode—like a meltdown over pancakes—feel forced, dated, and a little embarrassing. He shares a few pleasant scenes with Eva Longoria, but they’re gone from your mind five minutes later.
Thankfully, director Tim Story injects enough energy into the otherwise bland character interactions to keep things moving. At a time when most streaming films feel bloated or stretched thin, The Pickup at least respects your time. There are no twists, no deeper themes, and nothing beyond surface-level plot beats. If all you’re looking for is an easy watch, Palmer and the stunt team do just enough to make it passable. Just don’t be surprised if your mind starts drifting to better movies that pulled this off with more spark. Lethal Weapon is always waiting.