The Pickup (2025)
The action-comedy buddy genre typically relies on the dynamic of the funny man and the straight man. 48 Hrs. perfected this formula, pitting the grizzled straight man, Nick Nolte, against the hilarious antics of a young Eddie Murphy, creating a landmark team that even its own lackluster sequel couldn’t replicate. Murphy went on to find repeated success in Beverly Hills Cop with a team of straight men amplifying his comedic energy. Now, in his latest outing, The Pick Up, the formula has flipped: Murphy has ceded the “funny man” role.
The Pickup clearly targets the younger audience that 48 Hrs. captured decades ago. Eddie Murphy has transitioned into the grizzled, older straight man—much like Nolte before him—forced to tolerate the comedy onslaught from a younger co-star, Pete Davidson. Murphy is certainly capable of holding his own against the humorous barrage.
Ultimately, the film’s success will be heavily swayed by the audience’s tolerance for Davidson’s comedy, much as a young Murphy challenged audiences in 1982. The comedy schtick between Murphy and Davidson is passable, but I found myself weary of the “manchild” routine Davidson adopts. While it has worked well for him in the past, here it feels lazy and uninspired. Potty humor is also low-hanging fruit, exemplified by a line like “we did butt stuff” (considered so hilarious, if features in the trailer,) which signals the film’s target demographic with a groan-inducing lack of subtlety.
The premise of The Pickup is straightforward: a collection of crooks intercepts two mismatched security guards (Murphy and Davidson) and forces them to transport valuable cargo. Predictably, hijinks ensue. While the film attempts to introduce a bit of story and limited character arcs, it is primarily a vehicle for crude gags and action sequences. If your tolerance for the comedy is low, and your appreciation for flashy, fast-cut action relying heavily on CGI for anything ambitious is limited, this film might be one to avoid.
Despite the general issues, the film’s most egregious flaw is the handling of the main villain, Keke Palmer. The story feels completely bent out of shape to force the audience to like her, attempting to de-vilify her at the expense of a coherent plot. This narrative concession treats the audience as if they are children, turning what should be a straightforward thriller into an embarrassing, ill-conceived Robin Hood story. Palmer does good work at selling the character as an anti-hero it’s just too much for the story to support. Eva Longoria similarly suffers playing a bit of a deranged psycho that Murphy is somehow in love with.
The film also commits a near-crime by featuring Andrew Dice Clay only to completely waste his presence. Bringing Clay back to the screen after a significant absence, only to give him a role anyone could have played, is a squandered opportunity. While it’s great to see him, the film utterly fails to capitalize on the star power and distinct energy he could have provided.
For all its narrative issues, the action sequences are intermittently entertaining, and The Pickup manages to be kind of fun in spurts. However, it is not a film I would revisit. Ultimately, watching it only made me want to look back at Murphy’s previous action output—48 Hrs., Metro, Showtime, I-Spy—most of which have questionable reputations. Perhaps they’ve aged into enjoyable viewing like a fine Poseidon (a film that improved with age), but The Pickup will not be joining them.
The Pickup is availble on Amazon Prime here.
