Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson’s Shaky Chemistry Makes ‘The Pickup’ a Big Miss
Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson star as hapless armored truck drivers unwittingly involved in a duplicitous schemer’s heist in The Pickup, a film that elicits a few chuckles but is weakened by its stars’ strained chemistry. Although they make little sense in context, the chase scenes do check the requisite bullets-and-explosions boxes of a modern action-comedy; however, gaping plot holes and plodding exposition push the limits of suspension of disbelief. Factor in Keke Palmer, Andrew Dice Clay and Eva Longoria utterly wasted in a supporting role, and it all adds up to a forgettable experience that should have been better, given the talent involved.
In Atlantic City, New Jersey, Travis Stolly (Davidson), a wannabe cop and recent hire at Guardian Armored Transport Services, bungles a meeting at a bank counter with a beautiful woman as he mistakes her interest for a robbery. Zoe (Palmer) forgives his ineptitude, and sparks begin to fly. The following morning at 4 AM, Russell Pierce (Murphy), a longtime Guardian employee, kisses his wife Natalie (Longoria) goodbye on their 25th wedding anniversary. He promises to meet her later for dinner without a clue what lies ahead.
