Eddie Murphyhas starred in a long list of beloved films over the course of his illustrious career, encompassing a wide variety of roles, with some of his most notable performances coming fromBeverly Hills Cop, Coming to America,and more recently,Dolemite Is My Name. Despite his on-screen successes, Murphy has never won an Academy Award, and he predicts that he won’t be picking up a coveted Oscar statuette any time soon, even though his latest action-comedyThe Pickupis currently dominatingPrime Video’s streaming charts.
Murphy made the surprising Oscars prediction while speaking toSky Newson the press tour forThe Pickup, in which he stars as an armored truck driver alongsidePete Davidson. The film debuted on Prime Video on Aug. 6, and immediately found an audience, as it rocketed to the top of the streaming chart within hours of its release. The heist comedy remains in the No. 1 spot as of today, having claimed the position from another new title, which hasattracted attention for all the wrong reasons. Murphy told the outlet that he doesn’t expect to win any awards, but he feels he might see some recognition from the Academy later in life.
“One day, they’ll give me one of those honorary Oscars. When I’m really old. And I’ll say thank you so much for this wonderful honor. I’ll be old like that and I’ll have no teeth. I’m cool with getting my honorary Oscar when I’m 90… The movies are timeless, and they’re special, so for years and years those movies play and the movies have commercial success. So you make a lot of money and people love it, so you don’t even think about ‘I didn’t win a trophy!’ The response from the people and that the movie has legs, that’s the trophy.”
Murphy has only been nominated for an Academy Award once, in 2007, for his portrayal of the fictional soul singer James “Thunder” Early in Bill Condon’s star-studded musical dramaDreamgirls.However, Alan Arkin ended up clinching the Best Supporting Actor trophy that year for his role inLittle Miss Sunshine. Murphy has many more projects in the works though, which could still secure him a win before his 90th birthday, not least of which includesa reboot of a classic comedy franchisethat hasn’t had a new entry for more than 16 years.
‘The Pickup’ Is Proving Popular (But Also Polarizing)
The Pickupbrings together formerSNLstars Murphy and Davidson for a comedic romp that sees the two of them set out for a routine cash pickup that gets unexpectedly derailed — per the official synopsis below. The premise and trailers have certainly caught people’s attention, as it is currently the most popular film on Prime Video ahead ofWar of the Worlds, Heads of State,andFlight Risk.However, the action-comedyhas been met with mixed reviews, garnering a 33% critics score and a 45% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
“In the action-comedyThe Pickup, a routine cash pickup takes a wild turn when two mismatched armored truck drivers, Russell (Eddie Murphy) and Travis (Pete Davidson), are ambushed by ruthless criminals led by a savvy mastermind, Zoe (Keke Palmer), with plans that go way beyond the cash cargo. As chaos unfolds around them, the unlikely duo must navigate high-risk danger, clashing personalities, and one very bad day that keeps getting worse.”
Some reviewers praisedThe Pickupfor its fun and entertaining story, high-octane action sequences, and also highlighted the undeniable chemistry between the two lead actors, while others found it to be a bland and uninspired action-comedy that lacked originality and underutilized its talented cast. MovieWeb’s own Julian Romannoted in his reviewthat Murphy and Davidson “elicit a few chuckles,” but felt overall that “their chemistry is strained” and the movie’s “plodding exposition pushes willing suspension of disbelief to its limits.”
The Pickup
