The Pickup (2025) is directed by Tim Story, featuring a screenplay from Kevin Burrows & Matt Mider. It stars Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer, Jack Kesy, Eva Longoria, Andrew Dice Clay, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Jef Holbrook, Marshawn Lynch, and Joe Anoa’i. The story follows veteran armored truck driver, Russell Pierce (Murphy), and his goofy young partner, Travis Stolly (Davidson), during a seemingly routine pickup. They’re soon ambushed by a group of bank robbers led by Zoe (Palmer), a woman Travis recently went out with and caught feelings for. Instead of letting them go, Zoe forces Russell and Travis to help her infiltrate and rob a local bank. As the situation goes further off the rails, Travis and Russell desperately search for a way out. Unfortunately, things become even more complicated when Travis learns that his initial feelings for Zoe might be mutual. It’s either the nail in Russell’s coffin or the perfect tool to help him and Travis escape.

Most aspects of the film are extremely generic, but the three central performances are so committed that it saves the experience from being a complete bore. Eddie Murphy is surprisingly used as the serious, ‘straight man’ half of the film’s comedic duo, but I prefer him in these kinds of roles. The humor that made him such a comedic force during the late 90s and early 2000s doesn’t quite translate to the modern zeitgeist. Thankfully, his skills as a dramatic actor have improved significantly, something that’s on full display here despite the forgettable script. It’s also a relief that Russell’s estranged relationship with Travis is never overly combative. It keeps things light and helps to ground the characters in reality. Most of the time, when people don’t particularly like a co-worker, they still attempt to maintain a civil relationship (even if they occasionally break). 

Pete Davidson just does his typical Pete Davidson thing, showing little in terms of range even during the most emotional moments. He’s either yelling or giving his trademark smirk that suggests “well, what did you expect?” I understand why Eddie Murphy’s character thinks this guy is a fool. Despite the fact that Davidson can’t particularly act, this character fits his real-world persona, which ultimately makes his presence palatable. 

I wish the film had further developed Travis’s romance with Zoe; Beyond sex, the script never provides much of an explanation for why they connect. Davidson and Palmer have glimpses of goofy, opposites-attract chemistry, but it’s never something that’s allowed to shine. Thankfully, Keke Palmer is as fun as always and feels well-cast as a villain we’re never truly meant to dislike. She’s an uncommonly charismatic presence who often immediately improves her chosen projects, and this proves it for the umpteenth time. 

The film, although fast-paced enough to fly by, is painfully generic, even failing to justify its R-rating. It struggles to take any risks, ultimately feeling like Novocaine from earlier this year, but without the unique premise and near-humorous hyper-violence that made that film memorable. I can’t say The Pickup is boring, but there’s nothing about it that I expect to remember by the end of the week. 

Overall, this is an unoriginal, but never soulless or cynical addition to the buddy action-comedy subgenre. Everyone involved gives it their best effort, but the material lacks new ideas. If the jokes had landed a bit more often, this film could’ve worked. Unfortunately, it just seems destined to disappear within the growing archive of Prime Video’s original film catalog. The only people I could see loving this are die-hard Eddie Murphy fans, but there’s still a chance they’ll be disappointed by the way he’s used. C