Eddie Murphy’s new movieThe Pickupis now streaming on Prime Video, andthe reviews for the film have not been great. SincethePickupcastincludes Pete Davidson, Eva Longoria, and Keke Palmer, there was some hope that the new comedy would be a hit for the team involved.
Still,there is much to enjoy in the new streaming movie.Teaming two generations ofSNLtalent inThe Pickupgoes a long way, and the comedic chemistry between Davidson and Murphy is strong. Supporting appearances by Marshawn Lynch and Roman Reigns also add some great flair, making the film a potentially worthwhile watch.
The Pickupis not fated to become one ofEddie Murphy’s best movies, and there are several reasons for this. While Murphy found streaming success in the last year withBeverly Hills Cop: Axel F,this new project skews closer in quality to his last sequel,Coming 2 America.A few details highlighted in the reviews explain why.
The Pickup’s Low Rotten Tomatoes Score Explained
The Pickup’s scoreis not doing well onRotten Tomatoes, whereit currently holds an approval rating of 35% with critics and 49% with audiences.While there have not been a great number of reviews for the film, with only 37 at the time of writing, it is clear that the overall perception of the film has skewed toward negative.
Criticism of the film is varied, though there is one particular point that sticks out the most. OnRoger Ebert,Christy Lemire’s review highlights incompatibilities in the casting.She mentions that while the stars stand well on their own, they do not seem to support one another well. Chemistry between stars is key in comedy, but it doesn’t come through here, as Lemire writes:
Murphy and Davidson have no chemistry. Davidson and Keke Palmer have no chemistry. Palmer and Murphy have no chemistry. Murphy and Eva Longoria have no chemistry.
Lemire goes on to fault many of the issues as originating with a weak script, and several other reviewers have agreed. AtCinemalogue, Todd Jorgenson described the film as"a derivative collection of narrative spare parts that doesn’t steal our hearts or strike it rich."
ScreenRant’s own Alex Harrison shared similar criticisms inreviewingThe Pickup, highlighting how much the new movie squanders its comedic talent by putting too much of a focus on action. Harrison agrees that “The Pickup’splotting is paper-thin,“and emphasizes the difficulties in balancing the film’s tone.
Still, there are some who have found things to enjoy in the movie. Even in a review that scored the movie 3/10,ScreenRantacknowledged that some of the comedy works:“I laughed, early and relatively often.”
The New York Timesshared a favorable review, although their praise was far from glowing. Glenn Kenny writes,“For comedy aficionados, the topline cast of “The Pickup” constitutes something of an automatic recommendation,“while also acknowledging that the writing does not capitalize on the potential.
Overall, the new film is full of wasted potential.Murphy, Davidson, and Palmer are all great performers, but their performances here do not add up to anything worthwhile.While the film is not a complete waste of time, there is little reason to watch it over other, better thingsarriving on Prime Video.
How The Pickup’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Compares To Eddie Murphy Comedies
Critical reviews have not tended to be kind to Murphy’s body of work. While the actor scored an 82% onRotten Tomatoeswith 1984’sBeverly Hills Cop, and secured a 97% for the more recentDolemite is My Name, a project that earned him awards buzz,his broader comedies have tended to receive a thrashing from critics.
DespiteComing to Americahaving a strong score of 73%, the film’s sequel was poorly received with 49%.Unfortunately, therating ofComing 2 Americais more consistent with the rest of Murphy’s recent work. Recent films likeCandy Cane Lanescored 46%, which is actually a step up from several of Murphy’s efforts in the past decades.
2025
34%
48%
2024
67%
75%
2023
46%
45%
39%
2021
49%
37%
2019
97%
91%
2016
25%
81%
2012
0%
2011
2009
42%
40%
2008
20%
35%
2007
9%
53%
2003
14%
31%
27%
2002
15%
33%
6%
2001
41%
26%
2000
1999
61%
52%
72%
1998
43%
12%
1997
17%
1996
64%
44%
1992
59%
1988
73%
85%
1984
82%
1983
87%
1982
92%
69%
Throughout the 2000s, Murphy’s comedies failed to score highly.The Adventures of Pluto Nashscored an abysmal 6%,while2007’sNorbitcould only make it to 9%. While the audience scores are slightly more kind, they still tend to be quite low for these projects, with most not even surpassing 50%.
A Thousand Wordsstill holds a stunning 0% from 57 reviews, andMeet Davesits at 20%.The bulk of these absurd comedies attempted to capitalize on Murphy’s fame, but did little with his presence. The same can unfortunately be said forThe Pickup, although it seems that even the bad reviews for that film are slightly kinder.
Murphy had a few periods of more positive reception.His big-screen breakout in48 HRS.started a decent run for the actor through the 1980s, where his subsequent films scored strongly.Trading Placesscored 87%, and seemed to signal a quality run for the star. Unfortunately, it did not take long for Murphy’s reputation to change.
As it turns out,The Pickupis not an outlier in Murphy’s body of work.While the actor has made some strong comedies, and will likely make more in the future, his track record in the genre has tended toward lesser-reviewed films. Unfortunately,The Pickupis just another disposable film from theBowfingerstar.
