Remember when movie comedies actually played in theaters? Those days feel increasingly distant as streaming platforms continue gobbling up mid-budget films like they’re going out of style. Amazon Prime’s latest acquisition, “The Pickup,” landed this week with minimal fanfare but maximum star power — pairing comedy legend Eddie Murphy with SNL’s problem child Pete Davidson in what turns out to be a surprisingly entertaining generation-gap heist flick.
The premise? Dead simple. Two armored truck drivers (Murphy and Davidson) cross paths with a crafty thief (Keke Palmer) during what should’ve been a routine shift. Chaos ensues. It’s the kind of setup that would’ve packed multiplexes back in Murphy’s ’80s glory days, when movies like “48 Hours” and “Beverly Hills Cop” ruled the box office. Now it’s sandwiched between true crime documentaries and reality dating shows in Prime’s endless content scroll.
But here’s the thing — it works. Really works.
The film’s greatest strength lies in its understanding of its stars’ evolving personas. Murphy, now comfortably inhabiting the “voice of reason” role he’d have scoffed at 30 years ago, seems to relish playing the straight man to Davidson’s chaos agent. There’s something fascinating about watching Murphy essentially step into the Nick Nolte role, especially given his history of playing the wild card.
Davidson, fresh off his controversial departure from “SNL” and that weird Taco Bell campaign, brings his trademark nervous energy to the proceedings. His chemistry with Murphy crackles during their exchanges about generational workplace dynamics — particularly one pointed scene where Davidson’s character needles Murphy about “pivoting” careers late in life. (In 2025’s gig economy landscape, who isn’t pivoting?)
Keke Palmer rounds out the central trio with her characteristic enthusiasm, though she occasionally feels underutilized. Still, watching her hold her own against Murphy’s legendary timing proves she’s more than earned her spot among comedy’s current A-list. Her recent Emmy win for “Password” wasn’t a fluke, folks.
Director Tim Story (yeah, the “Barbershop” guy) keeps things moving at a clip that mostly papers over the script’s occasional credibility stretches. The action sequences won’t make Michael Bay nervous, but they’re competently staged and — mercifully — you can actually tell what’s happening in them. Remember when that was a given?
Look, “The Pickup” isn’t reinventing the wheel. It probably wouldn’t have set the box office on fire even in a pre-pandemic world. But in today’s fractured entertainment landscape, where theatrical releases are reserved for superhero spectacles and whatever Christopher Nolan’s cooking up, maybe that’s okay.
Sometimes you just want to watch talented people bounce off each other for 94 minutes while stuff explodes in the background. On that front, “The Pickup” delivers. It’s the kind of Friday night watch that pairs perfectly with takeout and low expectations — and occasionally exceeds them.
Besides, where else are you going to see Eddie Murphy teach Pete Davidson how to properly execute a three-point turn while debating the merits of TikTok? That’s worth the price of a Prime subscription right there.
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