Why Eddie Murphy’s New Comedy Has Such A Low Rotten Tomatoes Score

Eddie Murphy’s new movie The Pickup is now streaming on Prime Video, and the reviews for the film have not been great. Since the Pickup cast includes 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 of SNL talent in The Pickup goes 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 Pickup is not fated to become one of Eddie Murphy’s best movies, and there are several reasons for this. While Murphy found streaming success in the last year with Beverly 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

Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson driving a truck in The Pickup

The Pickup‘s score is not doing well on Rotten Tomatoes, where it 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. On Roger 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. At Cinemalogue, 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 in reviewing The 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‘s plotting 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, ScreenRant acknowledged that some of the comedy works:I laughed, early and relatively often.

The New York Times shared a favorable review, although their praise was far from glowing. Glenn Kenny writes, For comedy aficionados, the topline cast of “The Pickup” consтιтutes 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 things arriving on Prime Video.

How The Pickup’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Compares To Eddie Murphy Comedies

Eddie Murphy as Norbit smiling awkwardly standing in a park in Norbit

Critical reviews have not tended to be kind to Murphy’s body of work. While the actor scored an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes with 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop, and secured a 97% for the more recent Dolemite is My Name, a project that earned him awards buzz, his broader comedies have tended to receive a thrashing from critics.

Despite Coming to America having a strong score of 73%, the film’s sequel was poorly received with 49%. Unfortunately, the rating of Coming 2 America is more consistent with the rest of Murphy’s recent work. Recent films like Candy Cane Lane scored 46%, which is actually a step up from several of Murphy’s efforts in the past decades.

Movie

Year

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score

Audience Score

The Pickup

2025

34%

48%

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

2024

67%

75%

Candy Cane Lane

2023

46%

45%

You People

2023

39%

34%

Coming 2 America

2021

49%

37%

Dolemite is My Name

2019

97%

91%

Mr. Church

2016

25%

81%

A Thousand Words

2012

0%

46%

Tower Heist

2011

67%

48%

Imagine That

2009

42%

40%

Meet Dave

2008

20%

35%

Norbit

2007

9%

53%

The Haunted Mansion

2003

14%

31%

Daddy Day Care

2003

27%

48%

I Spy

2002

15%

33%

The Adventures of Pluto Nash

2002

6%

20%

Showtime

2002

25%

25%

Dr. Doolittle 2

2001

41%

26%

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

2000

27%

33%

Bowfinger

1999

81%

61%

Life

1999

52%

72%

Dr. Doolittle

1998

43%

35%

Holy Man

1998

12%

25%

Metro

1997

17%

27%

The Nutty Professor

1996

64%

44%

Boomerang

1992

48%

59%

Coming to America

1988

73%

85%

Beverly Hills Cop

1984

82%

82%

Trading Places

1983

87%

85%

48 HRS.

1982

92%

69%

Throughout the 2000s, Murphy’s comedies failed to score highly. The Adventures of Pluto Nash scored an abysmal 6%, while 2007’s Norbit could 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 surpᴀssing 50%.

A Thousand Words still holds a stunning 0% from 57 reviews, and Meet Dave sits 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 for The 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 in 48 HRS. started a decent run for the actor through the 1980s, where his subsequent films scored strongly. Trading Places scored 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 Pickup is 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 Pickup is just another disposable film from the Bowfinger star.

Related Posts

Jason Statham’s Next Action Movie Is Betting Big On A Box Office Rebound With Risky Change

Jason Statham’s Next Action Movie Is Betting Big On A Box Office Rebound With Risky Change

A key change to Mutiny, the latest action thriller movie from genre staple Jason Statham, sets the movie on uneasy ground as far as box office success…

These 10 Great Fantasy Movies Were Way Ahead Of Their Time

These 10 Great Fantasy Movies Were Way Ahead Of Their Time

Fantasy films have always invited viewers to explore exciting mythical worlds, but some even changed cinema as we know it through groundbreaking achievements. Whether it is technological…

The Evidence The MCU Is Adapting The Last Marvel Villain I Ever Expected To See Is Piling Up

The Evidence The MCU Is Adapting The Last Marvel Villain I Ever Expected To See Is Piling Up

It’s looking more and more likely that the MCU are about to debut the last Marvel villain I ever expected them to in the franchise’s near future….

The Spider-Verse’s Newest Movie Is Exactly What Marvel Needs After The Trilogy

The Spider-Verse’s Newest Movie Is Exactly What Marvel Needs After The Trilogy

The Spider-Verse has a new movie in development, and it looks like it might be exactly what Marvel needs after Miles Morales’ animated trilogy. The Spider-Verse trilogy…

DC’s 2025 Batman Movie Release Confirmation Means The Hero’s Next Film Is Way Closer Than You Think It Is

DC’s 2025 Batman Movie Release Confirmation Means The Hero’s Next Film Is Way Closer Than You Think It Is

While fans of Batman may be waiting for a few years to see the hero return on the big screen, his next feature debut is actually due…

Shaman Review: Will We Ever Get A Completely Original Exorcism Movie Again?

Shaman Review: Will We Ever Get A Completely Original Exorcism Movie Again?

Ever since The Exorcist became a blockbuster success, the concept of possession has been one of the most used in the horror genre, whether having a whole…