The Pickup Film Review: Hilarious Joyride

The Pickup is a typical heist film, but thanks to an electric cast and well written action scenes, it is a fun watch. Keke Palmer anchors this thrilling comedy.

All Russell (Eddie Murphy, of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F) wants to do is finish his shift as an armored truck driver so he can surprise his wife for their 25th anniversary. When he’s unexpectedly paired with an inexperienced new driver named Travis (Pete Davidson, of Bodies Bodies Bodies), he loses his chances at an easy shift. Russell learns that Travis was conned by Zoe (Keke Palmer, of Nope), who’s plotting an intricate heist and hopes to walk away with $60 million.

Excellent chemistry between Palmer, Murphy, and Davidson carries this movie past some tropes and expositional dialogue. The key to creating a good heist comedy in the years following the subgenre’s 2010s renaissance is not to reinvent the wheel, but to put the same wheels on a new car. The Pickup is, in terms of writing, quite familiar. But pairing the legacy comedy actor Murphy with two iconic personalities keeps this experience engaging and fun.

Palmer anchors both the comedic and thrilling elements of The Pickup, and her interplay with Davidson is especially enjoyable. Davidson is, yet again, type cast. This can be added to the running list of films in which he simply plays himself (this time without tattoos), bringing his trademark crude humor and fun-loving personality to yet another story. It works well for his role in this film, but it’s not helping his goal of becoming an actor known for more serious roles, as he told E! News earlier this year.

Despite a primary emphasis on comedy—from physical comedy to sarcasm and dark humor—each main character has a meaningful backstory and strong character development. This is a general positive feature, but unfortunately, viewers have to watch these developments mainly through expositional dialogue at inconvenient moments in the movie. As a film that balances thrills and humor so well, it’s clear that the weak link in The Pickup’s storytelling is the timing of emotionally deep scenes. Only a few of them really make sense, while the rest disrupt otherwise gripping or funny interactions.

The Pickup’s first act features an action-packed sequence that could stand among some of the best of the year. It infuses hilarious scenarios into Travis and Russell’s strained efforts to deter crafty thieves. Cleverly written action, well choreographed fight scenes, and timely one-liners show that director Tim Story (Fantastic Four, 2005) is suited for the action comedy formula. Several scenes are shot well, each sweeping shot or tight close-up contributing to the frantic state of the film’s protagonists. The Pickup is similar to Masterminds and Logan Lucky; it’s a fun summer movie, but it has better cinematography than these (and most) comedy films.

Without spoiling anything, the ending is quite satisfying. The third act features a climactic action sequence while also tying together previously loose strands in the screenplay. The second act undergoes the typical writing legwork of developing its characters; this is necessary to make the third act work, but it makes the overall pace feel choppy. Returning to riveting action sequences is a helpful way to crescendo an overall enjoyable film.

The Pickup is a typical heist film, but thanks to its electric cast and very well written action scenes, it is a hilarious joyride. Palmer is the clear star, but Murphy’s steady performance is another reminder of his lasting impact on the comedy genre.

The Pickup will be available to stream globally on Prime Video from August 6, 2025.