THE PICKUP
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa'i, Eva Longoria, Marshawn Lynch, Jack Kesy, Andrew Dice Clay, and Ismael Cruz Cordova
Director: Tim Story
KATIE
The Pickup has the ingredients for an entertaining comedy, but it ultimately falls flat. Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson have the potential to be an effective comedic pairing, but Davidson just can't work with the material and isn't funny. Even Eddie Murphy’s comedic talents, which shine through now and then, cannot overcome the unimaginative script. The action isn't engaging or creative, and the choppy editing gives the overlong car chases a very disjointed feel. Even at just over 90 minutes runtime, the plot is needlessly convoluted, and it feels twenty minutes too long.
AMARÚ
I’ll give props to The Pickup for the couple of practical stunts they pulled off during an early chase scene. But that’s about all the love I can throw its way, especially when they give charismatic actors like Keke Palmer and Eddie Murphy (Pete Davidson is also there) nothing more than ADR’d exclamations for a script. The story (if you can call it that), the editing (if you can stay with it), and the action (if you can stay awake during it) are all hodgepodged together in a convoluted mess of wasted potential. Eva Longoria was a fun side character though, so there’s that.
QUENTIN
Aside from a nifty sequence using dye packets during a car chase, The Pickup doesn’t have much else going for it, which is wild when you consider the hilarious talent involved. Everyone on screen, from Eddie Murphy to Marshawn Lynch, has shown their comedy bonafides at one point or another, but it’s almost like they all forgot how to be funny. I get that the lazy script is what it is, being convoluted on top of being unfunny, but you’d think the cast's natural abilities would shine through at least a little bit. But nope. Instead, we get an action-comedy that is the definition of forgettable.
