The Pickup (2025)

Story's recent film, The Blackening, was smart, funny, and fascinating. Unfortunately The Pickup is not really any of those things. The main problem appears to be the script which makes each set piece over the top beyond believability, that has a plot filled with cliches and holes, and is filled with humour that just isn't very funny. The cast does what it can with what its got and Story competently handles the direction. But little can overcome this dumb story that feels churned out in a weekend. 

The open scene sums up a lot of the problems with the film. It is in theory attempting to be a hilarious meet-cute bit fails on all fronts by escalating in a way that feels neither natural nor all that funny. So many of the jokes just fall flat or feel forced and so many of the film's action sequences feel overly choreographed and ridiculous. And in the end the film attempts to rehabilitate the villain in a way that is insulting to the audience's intelligence and just isn't successful. There is a line where Longoria's character looks at Davidson and says "you know how stupid that is, right?"

Perhaps the worst part is that The Pickup is boring. It's hard to believe a film starring Eddie Murphy and Keke Parlmer is this dull to watch. There is a reason this went straight to Prime and didn't get a theatrical release. 

The Pickup

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Keke Palmer, Pete Davidson, Eva Longoria, Andrew Dice Clay 

Director: Tim Story

Writers: Matt Mider, Kevin Burrows

Riff Raff (2025)

Riff Raff has a clever script and a wicked cast but it's execution often feels pedantic making it loose momentum occasionally. Still there are moments that make it worth a watch even if it doesn't always work perfectly. It has scenes that are a lot of fun, and the performances, creating relationships between the characters, do a lot of heavy lifting. So it ends up being a bit of mixed bag that you won't be sorry you watched but are unlikely to revisit. 

The biggest asset here is Coolidge who gets to play a role that isn't just the one she's been typecast in. It is a layered character that plays into her strengths but also gives her more to do than we often get to see. But she's not alone. Miles J. Harvey gives an impressive standout as the central character, our narrator, who ties everything together. He is the "everyman" character that we can connect to amongst the crazy cast of characters presented and he brings a pathos that movie needs to up its stakes. Truly the entire cast does good work here and there are moments the script gives them that are truly enjoyable. 

I will give it credit for mostly keeping its heightened violence off screen. It doesn't indulge in fetishizing any of that.

The main problem is there is a real paint-by-numbers approach to how it is shot and put together. It often feels like a copy of a Coen Brothers film or a Tarantino film instead of finding it's own voice. There are a few clunky moments that keep it from truly connecting.  It's a near miss, but if you want to enjoy some great moments from this cast it's still worth checking out. 

Riff Raff

Starring: Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris,Gabrielle Union,Lewis Pullman,Miles J. Harvey, Emanuela Postacchini, Michael Angelo Covino, Pete Davidson, Bill Murray 

Director: Dito Montiel

Writer: John Pollono

Together (2025)

While body horror is not my favourite genre of horror, Together has all the hallmarks of the sort of unsettling stories which get into our deep fears and pull them to the surface, which is far more up my alley. For me the strengths of the film were far more about the intellectual existential horror themes and its weaknesses were when it got into gross out horror. While I have critiques of some of its more out there moments I still think Together works and found it deeply discomforting. 

Warning I can't discuss the pros and cons of Together without *spoilers* so read this after you've seen it.

I'll get the critiques out of the way first. So much of when Together gets into showing us the graphic body merging it becomes less scary. A big part of this is because it doesn't look real. The film's budget and it's leaning into full display (instead of attempting shadow and suggestion) make it seem fake looking. Whether its the hikers in the cave or the final surrendering, the effects just weren't effective. So much of what was happening here could have been done with far less vivid imagery and likely would have felt more real and therefore more terrifying. 

Also as the film hit its climaxes, it felt too on the nose, like it was holding our hand, making sure we understood. I never need a film to talk down to me. This isn't just in the graphic images. A good example of this is Jamie. There is a scene near the end of Act II which pretty much outlines who he (they?) are we didn't need the bigger, more dramatic, more full out evil reveal near the end that just reeked of horror cliches. He didn't need to be a villain, just an example, which would have left things more ambiguous and far more interesting. The film feels like it's going for a goal of a kind of ambiguity yet it pushes its final scenes so over the top that hinders that achievement. 

Same with the ending, watching Tim and Millie physically merge was unnecessary and distracting. It could have ended with them dancing, some suggestive shots of "coming together", and then cut to that final shot. Again I would have found this a far more powerful culmination of what the film is doing. Together does great work of this in earlier bits (the legs fusing, and that incredibly filmed sex scene). I was disappointed it had to wrap it up the way it did. We knew where it was going and we understand what was going on. I wish it would have trusted us to just go with it and ride it to the end without continually asking "did you get it?" "did you get it?" "see what I did there?"

But that's enough of that, cause overall I really did find Together fascinating. The way its story explores the complications of relationships, individuality, dysfunction, is so rich it is the sort of film that just begs for its audience to go for drinks after to discuss. It gives us so much to chew on and remains generally entertaining throughout without dragging its story. 

It is also quite effectively disconcerting. Our culture promotes finding "the one" and the "perfect relationship" and Together asks some difficult questions about that. It uses a very disturbing metaphor to do it and one that will not only make us squirm but perhaps shriek. The casting of real life couple Brie and Franco adds additional layers to these questions in a film that is already so robust in its themes. Overall Together is a winner even if Shanks could use a little restraint to up the ante even more. 

Together

Starring: Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Damon Herriman

Writer/Director: Michael Shanks