It used to be that an Eddie Murphy film on the big screen was a big event. Now that most of his comedies have been relegated to streaming, the quality has dipped right along with them. Murphy can still deliver with the right material, as the excellent Dolemite Is My Name and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F prove, but The Pickup is not among his best. Opening this week on Prime Video, the heist comedy boasts impressive star power with Murphy joined by Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer, and Eva Longoria. But the laughs are sporadic and the action is far beneath the standard of former Fantastic Four director, Tim Story.
Murphy is called upon to be sort of the straight man in The Pickup, and it’s not a natural spot for him. He plays veteran armored truck driver Russell Pierce, who is set to have a beautiful 25th wedding anniversary with his wife, Natalie, played by Longoria. But his plans get disrupted when his a-hole boss, played by Andrew Dice Clay, puts him on an extra shift on a distant route. Even worse, Russell is paired up with idiot rookie Travis Stolly, played by Davidson, who couldn’t be more of a mismatch and threatens to make this the longest shift ever.
The film actually begins with Travis, as Davidson is as much the centerpiece of The Pickup as Murphy. Travis is a moron who turns a routine bank stop into an armed showdown with a woman who was just trying to ask him out on a date. That woman, Zoe, played by Palmer, spends a weekend of wild sex with Travis. Turns out, it was all a ruse. Because it’s her, along with two of her violent cohorts (played by Jack Kesy and Ismael Cruz Cordova), who have used the intel Travis casually spilled to plan a robbery on the armored truck he’s driving with Russell. Now the two unlikely partners must figure out how to get from point A to point B without getting themselves killed, and in time for Russell to get to his engagement dinner.
To be fair, I had some hope for The Pickup because the opening hijacking attempts suggested a lean, straight-ahead buddy action-comedy. Murphy has a lot more jokes in the early going, too, as he reacts to the deadly, and deadly stupid, situation that Travis has put him in. I like that, despite everything that’s going on, Russell’s biggest fear is how pissed off his wife might be. But then the film takes an unfortunate turn, and focuses a lot of time on the tenuous romantic relationship between Travis and Zoe, which is completely unbelievable. Travis acts like a horny clown, albeit a math wiz (???) who flunked out of the police academy, which makes you wonder why Zoe would want anything to do with him. Even worse is her characterization. She starts out threatening to murder the two men, but then we’re expected to sympathize with her sob story. Nevermind that she seduced and had sex with Travis just to get some armored truck route into. What is she, a Russian spy or something? Ultimately, her plan isn’t even that complicated to warrant all of this nonsense.
Unfortunately, Murphy gets lost in the shuffle after a while. 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.
The Pickup hits Prime Video on August 6th.
