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
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