The Pickup

Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson save this movie from a horribly middling director. I've never heard of him before, but a quick look at his credits tells me why.

Without the performances and on screen chemistry of the two lead actors, this movie would be a one out of ten instead of a five out of ten. I'm not sure how this guy keeps getting work, but he must have something on some studio execs.

I'd like to go on about the movie. The writing is okay and the action sequences are passable. But its the directing and editing and some really really terrible voice over work of the bad guys when they have their helmets on that take this movie down. But its really not worth it.

If you have a netflix subscription, its a fun watch. Good thing no one hase to pay 20 bucks or more at a theater for it though. Then it would be a definite pass.

Travis (Pete Davidson) is working as a guard for an armored transport company, and while at a bank, a women, Zoe, wants to show him a note. He thinks that is a hold up note, so he pulls his gun. She only wanted to date him and he hooks up with her. Russell (Eddie Murphy) wants that days run to be easy, to get to his 25th Wedding Anniversary dinner that night. And Russell is planing to leave his job, and they will start a B&B. But his boss has other ideas, and puts him on a terrible run, and worse, pairs him with Travis. Travis comes from a family of cops, but couldn't make the cut, so he is a guard. He is rather a goofball. Just when one gets tired of his stupid decisions, he makes a good one. While on their run, they get hijacked, and they figure they are going to be robbed, and then killed. Turns out the only thing Travis is good at is driving, so there are some interesting chase scenes, and those wanting the truck are very determined, and it was well planned out. A problem with this movie is that it is very uneven. Fun and interesting intermixed with dumb and stupid. Russell seems to be along for the ride. Travis seems either to act totally dense or simply out of his league. We do meet up with Zoe again, and that adds an interesting twist. A very lightweight movie that has its charms. One will not feel they wasted time watching it, nor would they want to watch it again to see if there are important things they missed.

The Pickup has enough action and jokes to last the full 90 minutes, it has all the attributes but falls short in the reality department. Enjoyable well acted but in the end the inevitable ending lacks like most comedic actions a worthwhile ending. Enjoyable but only just. Eddie Murphy plays a strong part and is the glue for the film. It has Beverly Hill Cop remnants.

A textbook example of wasted potential. 4.5/10

Eddie Murphy, once a comedic powerhouse, delivers a surprisingly average performance that feels like he's merely collecting a paycheck. The supporting cast fares even worse, with uniformly bad acting that makes you wonder how these scenes made it past the first take.

Director Tim Story seems unsure what movie he's making. Is it a heist caper like Ocean's Eleven? An action-comedy like Bad Boys or a Car chase flick like the F&F franchise? The film awkwardly straddles both genres without committing to either, resulting in a thriller that isn't thrilling and a comedy that isn't funny.

The story is paper-thin and absurdly silly, but not in an endearing way. Poor dialogue ensures that even potentially funny moments fall completely flat.

Murphy and Davidson's chemistry feels forced and unnatural throughout. What should have been a fun romp between two mismatched partners becomes a tedious exercise in mediocrity.

Skip this pickup - your time is better spent elsewhere.

Wow this was a really bad movie. Plot is AWFUL, for a truck heist movie there's no action and the dialogue seems improvised or written by a teenager. Now I must admit I'm not really a Keke Palmer fan so that didn't help but I saw Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson and thought it has to at least have a few funny scenes. Nope, I was wrong, This movie was a cash grab and should be avoided.