Eddie Murphy’s new Prime Video comedy movie, a teaming with fellow SNL alum Pete Davidson, debuts with a disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score.
The star of such classics as 48 Hrs., Beverly Hills Cop and The Nutty Professor knows what it feels like to receive the adulation of critics. But Murphy has also experienced the other end of the critical spectrum, having starred in a handful of movies that were not merely panned, but brutalized.
There are indeed some mᴀssive flops on Murphy’s resume, including the notorious bombs The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Norbit, Beverly Hills Cop III and Vampire In Brooklyn. Critics also had their knives out for less-notable misfires like A Thousand Words, Holy Man, The Haunted Mansion, and I Spy.
Murphy’s recent comeback has largely resulted in middling reviews, with the notable exception of Dolemite Is My Name, currently Murphy’s best-performing film on RT with a 97% fresh rating. That comeback continues with the star’s newest release, an edgy comedy from a major streaming service.
Eddie Murphy’s Prime Video Comedy The Pickup Debuts With An Underwhelming Rotten Tomatoes Score
Critics have begun offering their takes on Murphy’s new Prime Video comedy The Pickup, and so far the results have been less-than-encouraging. Co-starring the aforementioned Davidson along with Keke Palmer and Eva Longoria, the movie concerns a pair of armored truck drivers ambushed by a criminal mastermind and her crew.
The Pickup is not exactly being ambushed by critics, but it’s not receiving many glowing reviews either, debuting on Rotten Tomatoes with a 36% fresh rating. With only 14 reviews aggregated so far, the movie still has a chance to improve that percentage before all is said and done.
Our Take On The Pickup’s Unimpressive Rotten Tomatoes Score
If that 36% fresh rating holds for The Pickup, it will not exactly be in contention to rank as one of Murphy’s best movies, but neither will it be lumped in with disasters like Norbit, Pluto Nash and Beverly Hills Cop III.
A fresh rating in the mid-thirties indeed ranks The Pickup well above those famous Murphy flops. Among the star’s films, it places right about in the middle of average, alongside such inoffensively forgettable works as Imagine That, You People and Dr. Dolittle 2.
If anything can be gleaned from The Pickup’s early RT returns, it’s that Murphy’s fans should probably temper their expectations. The star’s latest is no Coming to America or Trading Places. Thankfully, it’s not Vampire In Brooklyn, either.
Those who love Murphy in edgier fare may be entertained by The Pickup. The presence of Davidson, Palmer and Longoria in support of Murphy is also a big plus. It will be interesting to see how the movie fares when there are enough RT user reviews to calculate an audience score.
Prime Video subscribers can formulate their own takes on The Pickup when it releases on the streamer on August 6, 2025.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
