The story of The Pickup: A routine job gone wrong
The Pickup follows Russell and Travis, two armored truck drivers whose ordinary day takes a violent turn when they're ambushed by a crew of criminals during what should've been just another cash pickup. Russell—played by Eddie Murphy—and the younger, more impulsive Travis (Pete Davidson) find themselves caught between a rock and a very dangerous place when a mastermind named Zoe (Keke Palmer) orchestrates a heist that spirals wildly out of control. What starts as a straightforward robbery becomes a cascading series of shootouts, car chases, and personality clashes that neither driver saw coming. The premise is lean and familiar: trapped together, forced to improvise, personalities clash, chaos erupts. It's heist-movie DNA, and on paper, it should work.
Behind the making of The Pickup: Cast, production, and the Amazon release
Directed by Tim Story—known for his work on Ride Along and Think Like a Man—The Pickup arrived as an Amazon MGM Studios original, released directly to Prime Video on August 6, 2025. Story's filmography suggests someone comfortable with comedy-action hybrids, which made him a logical fit for material that needed to balance humor with genuine peril. The script came from Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows, though the exact creative journey from page to screen remains somewhat opaque. What's clearer is the cast itself: Murphy brings decades of comedic credibility, Davidson carries his own brand of deadpan energy, and the supporting ensemble—including Eva Longoria, Keke Palmer, Jack Kesy, Ismael Cruz Cordova, and Andrew Dice Clay—adds texture to what could've been a two-hander. The film runs 96 minutes, tight enough to avoid feeling bloated, and carries an R rating, which gives Story room to play with language and violence without sanitizing the premise. Movie OTT tracks where films like this land across streaming platforms, and The Pickup's direct-to-Prime release meant no theatrical window—a strategy that's become increasingly common for mid-budget comedies that studios aren't confident will draw crowds to multiplexes.
What makes The Pickup worth watching: Performance and chemistry in a flawed film
Here's the thing about The Pickup: it's not good. The critical consensus is brutal. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 25%, the Metascore is 38 out of 100, and even the IMDb audience score—typically more forgiving—lands at 5.6 from nearly 14,000 votes. That's not a fluke. Reviewers consistently point to predictable storytelling, lazy writing, and a missed opportunity to do something sharper with the material. And yet, there's something worth noting here. What's striking is that Murphy and Davidson don't entirely disappear into the wreckage. The dynamic between them—the older, weathered professional and the younger, wisecracking hothead—has genuine comedic potential, even when the script doesn't give them much to work with. Murphy's delivery still carries weight; Davidson's timing still lands, even in service of weak jokes. The real problem isn't the performances. It's the architecture. Critics have noted that the film feels visually uninspired—one reviewer mentioned the interior of the armored truck itself feels claustrophobic and ugly in a way that doesn't serve the story, and the highway sequences lack the lived-in texture that would make the world feel real. When a heist comedy doesn't commit fully to either heist or comedy, when it tries to be both without excelling at either, that's when you get a film like this: competent on the surface, hollow underneath. It's not a disaster. It's just... forgettable.
Where to stream The Pickup online
The Pickup is available to stream on Prime Video, where it landed as an Amazon MGM Studios exclusive on August 6, 2025. If you've got an active Prime subscription, you can watch it there without an additional rental fee. The Where to Watch widget at the top of this page will show you current availability across all platforms in real time, so you won't have to hunt around wondering if it's still there or if it's moved to another service. Since this is a direct-to-streaming release, there's no theatrical option and no staggered windows—Prime Video is the only game in town. Streaming aggregators like Movie OTT make it easy to check availability the moment you decide whether you want to give it a shot.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed The Pickup?
Tim Story directed the film. Story has a track record with comedy-action hybrids like Ride Along and Think Like a Man, so he was brought in to balance the humor and the heist elements.
Q: Is The Pickup based on a true story?
No, The Pickup is an original screenplay written by Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows. It's a fictional heist-comedy premise, not adapted from real events.
Q: What's the runtime of The Pickup?
The film runs 96 minutes, keeping the story tight and moving at a brisk pace without unnecessary padding.
Q: Is The Pickup rated R?
Yes, The Pickup carries an R rating, which allows for language, violence, and other content not suitable for younger audiences.
Q: Where can I watch The Pickup?
The Pickup streams exclusively on Prime Video. It was released as an Amazon MGM Studios original on August 6, 2025, with no theatrical release.
Final thoughts on The Pickup: Who should watch it
If you're a completist who needs to see everything Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson do, or if you're just in the mood for a 96-minute action-comedy that doesn't demand much brain power, The Pickup won't offend you. It's the kind of film that works best as background noise on a lazy afternoon—entertaining enough to keep you from reaching for your phone, forgettable enough that you won't think about it much after it ends. It's not a waste of time, but it's not a must-watch either. The real tragedy isn't that it's bad; it's that it could've been better with sharper writing and a clearer vision of what it wanted to be.
