A Head-Spinning Heist Meets Unlikely Pairings
If you enjoy seeing Eddie Murphy try to keep Pete Davidson out of trouble, The Pickup might tempt you—at least on paper. Set in a grittier-than-usual rural New Jersey, this 2025 action-comedy throws them together as armored truck guards, both desperate for a new start but wildly different in personality. Murphy plays Russell, who’s got one foot out the door, planning for a quiet retirement and a dream bed-and-breakfast. Davidson’s Travis, on the other hand, is more interested in daydreaming and blurting out whatever enters his head, even in the middle of a bank run.
Then there’s Keke Palmer’s Zoe—a thief with a talent for manipulation, who turns Travis’s awkward flirtation into a heist opportunity he never saw coming. This setup throws all three into a wild chase, with Russell left cleaning up messes and Travis trying (badly) to be a criminal mastermind. Zoe’s associates, the tough Banner and smooth-talking Ismael Cruz Cordova, round out a team that’s both threatening and sometimes laughably incompetent.
Spectacle on the Highway, Substance in the Backseat
If you’re hoping for relentless action, you’ll get it. From an over-the-top opening bank standoff to a rolling armored truck showdown complete with dye packs exploding everywhere, the movie makes sure you aren’t bored. The cars spin out, the fists fly, and Murphy’s signature exasperated headshakes land right where you expect them. Tim Story brings in technical polish, but you can’t help raising an eyebrow at the 100 miles of cell phone dead zone outside Atlantic City—a plot device that feels more cartoonish than crucial.
The cast keep things moving, especially in moments where Murphy’s steady frustration bounces off Davidson’s chaotic energy. Still, there’s a problem: character arcs barely get out of first gear. Russell talks about his wife (played by Eva Longoria) and his retirement dreams, but they just drift in the background. Travis’s math skills and big aspirations never really add up to much. The biggest whiplash comes with Zoe, who swings from master thief to love interest in about twenty minutes—a shift that doesn’t convince, no matter how much charm Palmer brings.
The twists and turns never surprise, and most jokes land with a thud if you’re looking for anything beyond slapstick or sarcastic banter. Still, a few tense moments manage to cut through the fluff, usually when Murphy and Davidson are forced to cooperate against some new threat barreling down the road. In these short intervals, you get a glimpse of what the movie could’ve been: sharp, tense, and just a little weird in all the right ways.
Instead, The Pickup settles for big set pieces, running on pure adrenaline and a cast too good for the script. You may laugh, wince, or just roll your eyes—but there’s no denying the movie has enough fuel to keep you watching, even if you wish it tried a little harder to steer off the beaten path.