There are plenty of options on the 2025 movie calendar currently fulfilling the role of summer blockbuster if you’re looking at a trip to the theater, but sometimes isn’t it nice to not have to leave your house? The Pickup, a new heist comedy starring Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer will be available to stream with an Amazon Prime Video subscription starting August 6, but critics seem to think its cast’s comedic talents — especially Murphy’s — are wasted.
There’s no denying how funny the three leading actors are, and this movie sees the Saturday Night Live alums playing armored car drivers who get mixed up in a heist run by Keke Palmer’s Zoe. One would hope that this flick from director Tim Story would play to their strengths, and while THR’s Lovia Gyarkye says Pete Davidson and Eddie Murphy’s chemistry does help, it sounds like this movie may clash as badly as the trio’s red carpet outfits. The critic writes:
There are chunks of this journey that assume the energy of a buddy comedy, with Zoe, Travis and Russ demonstrating surprising amounts of teamwork. But the adventure often seems random in its humor and low in its stakes. There seems to be an effort to outsmart viewers familiar with the beats of this kind of plot, and while that’s initially somewhat charming, the antics start to wear on you.
Pete Hammond of Deadline points out the similarities between The Pickup and The Bad Guys 2, the animated sequel in theaters now that’s also receiving mixed reviews. That’s probably not a great thing to hear for fans of Eddie Murphy’s best movies. In this one, the veteran comedic actor plays it low-key, allowing Pete Davidson to carry the comedic weight. Hammond says:
There are a few twists and turns — literally — in this action flick, and the action part of it is perfectly serviceable even if the expected hilarity from two former SNL stars in a dream pairing (young and old comic genius combined) fails to materialize and is mostly left to Davidson to do the heavy lifting.
Travis Hopsin of Punch Drunk Critic rates it 2.5 stars out of 5, saying that Eddie Murphy is relegated to the straight-man role in The Pickup, which is not a natural spot for him. Even those hoping to see Marshawn Lynch get his due in a supporting role will be disappointed, Hopsin says, writing:
The Pickup feels like a contractual obligation for Murphy rather than a movie built around his comedic gifts. It’s not to say there aren’t a few laughs. I did chuckle quite a few times, but there’s not a single scene that stands out. Even the usually reliable Marshawn Lynch, so funny in Bottoms and Love Hurts, is completely disposable. The Pickup is a forgettable action-comedy that fails to capitalize on its cast. It is, sadly, right where it belongs on streaming, where it can be easily ignored.
Alex Harrison of ScreenRant says The Pickup ventures into so-bad-it’s-good territory by taking its action too seriously and thereby wasting its comedic cast. Though the critic ended up rating it just 3 out of 10, he walks away with more positive feelings than negative, writing:
This film, directed by Tim Story and releasing straight to Prime Video this week, is not good. No disaster, perhaps, but undeniably a waste of its considerable comedic resources. And yet, I laughed, early and relatively often. I eventually recognized it as that special so-bad-it's-good laugh, directed at the movie but somehow still endearing me to it. A warm mockery, like teasing a friend for something you can't believe they were dumb enough to do. I finished The Pickup feeling goodwill toward it, while respecting it not at all.
Matt Goldberg of The Wrap agrees with the consensus above, except for any of the parts where critics found the scarce laugh or redeeming quality. It’s best chance of success, per Goldberg, “is hoping that autoplay sends it to someone’s screen and the viewer is too indifferent to hit the stop button.” The critic continues:
It all reeks of overbearing cheapness to where we’re left to wonder why anyone would bother. There are no B-movie thrills to be had, nor an exchange of budget for subversive ideas. It’s like a Roger Corman movie without the down-and-dirty element. Instead, it plays like the Temu version of better buddy-comedy action films where no human hands touched it during production, and then in falls apart the moment you look at it funny.
It sounds like critics were definitely hoping for more from Eddie Murphy in this role, because it wasn’t just the above reviews that posted negative ratings for The Pickup. The action comedy holds a 43% Rotten Tomatoes score as of this writing.
Some said there are laughs to be found, though, so if this sounds like a movie you want to check out — without even leaving your home — fire up Prime Video and draw your own conclusions! The Pickup will be available to stream on Wednesday, August 6.
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