THE PICKUP: 2 STARS. “promises fireworks, but delivers a dud.”
SYNOPSIS: In “The Pickup,” a new action comedy now streaming on Prime Video, Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson play odd couple armored truck drivers drawn into a scheme by cunning thief Zoe (Keke Palmer). “You two are going to help me steal 60 million dollars from the casino,” she says.
CAST: Eddie Murphy, Keke Palmer, Pete Davidson, Eva Longoria, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Jack Kesy, Andrew Dice Clay, Marshawn Lynch. Directed by Tim Story.
REVIEW: Given the talent involved, the most surprising thing about “The Pickup” is how excruciatingly unsurprising it is. Not even its three, very appealing above-the-title stars can rescue this 1980s inspired tepid action comedy.
To be precise, it’s more action than comedy, although there is a golden “Neutron Bomb” needle drop.
Murphy, who can usually wring laughs out of even the most banal of material (I’m looking at you “Candy Cane Lane”) but here it’s as if he’s sleepwalking. He’s playing the older, seasoned armored truck driver to Davidson’s inexperienced wildcard—Murphy’s Russell has twenty-five years on the job whereas Davidson’s Travis only took a fifteen-hour on-line course—but while Murphy’s serious, deadpan delivery supplies the odd laugh, his usual charm is hidden under a bushel.
Davidson riffs on his public persona. Vulnerable but scrappy, he plays Travis as an underdog whose reach exceeds his grasp. He’s a gullible dreamer, a screw-up, and (conveniently) a math whiz who can do complex equations in his head. Davidson’s awkward charm goes a long way, but the character is more goofy than funny.
Palmer fares better, creating a baddie you actually root for.
By the time the end credits roll, “The Pickup” reveals itself to be less than the sum of its parts. All three leads are charismatic, and promise fireworks, but deliver a dud.
