If there is a more fitting symbol of the current state of film production than The Pickup, then I do not want to know about it.  At the same time, I will probably watch it one day and review it.  I do not mean this necessarily in a demeaning manner.  What I am getting at is the way in which films these days are made.  After all, cinemas are not getting the business they once did.  Go to a movie one of these days, especially a big-time production like Top Gun: Maverick(2022), and you will see Tom Cruise thanking you for being in your theater seat instead of streaming it online.  Some of this can be attributed to changes in viewing habits, and much of the rest on COVID.  Whatever the case, those involved in the industry still need to work.  Hence, they keep making productions regardless of their quality, releasing them on the same streaming services that have caused the cinematic revolution in the first place.  Today’s example is The Pickup.  I will go ahead and give you a synopsis anyway, but just know that this is nothing that you have not already seen.

The person we see first in The Pickup is Travis Stolly (Pete Davidson), an officer with the Guardian armored truck service.  He is performing the eponymous operation when he notices Zoe (Keke Palmer) and tries to get her phone number.  Because he is awkward and weird, it appears that he has had no luck.  However, when he turns around, she is there with a piece of paper telling him that he needs to read it.  He assumes this is a note stating she is robbing the bank and pulls a gun on her.  Eventually, he calms him down and they end up going on a date, and them sleeping with each other.  Once again, this Catholic is here to tell you that pre-marital sex is bad, and you will understand why in a moment.  The next person we meet is Russell Pierce (Eddie Murphy).  He also works for Guardian, and today is his twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with his wife, Natalie Pierce (Eva Longoria).  It is early in the morning and he is about to go in for his shift, but they have plans to celebrate the occasion with dinner at a restaurant.  These plans are about to be changed, first by his boss, Clark (Andrew Dice Clay), who adds another stop to Russell’s route.  Further, Russell is paired with Travis, who arrives at work proud of his weekend maneuvers.  The veteran Russell is not happy to be partnered with the rookie Travis, assuming the younger man will slow him down.  For his part, Travis is honored to be alongside a veteran, and he assures Russell that he is a great driver and will cause no problems.  Of course, problems are about to come their way in the form of Zoe.  She has hired two accomplices, Banner (Jack Kesy) and Miguel (Ismael Cruz Códorva), and they aim to steal the armored truck in which they are riding.  She can do this because she got all the information she could ever need about Guardian from the hapless Travis.  In particular, she knows when Russell and Travis will be in a dead zone in their communications, which will make the heist a little easier.  What Zoe does not expect is the resistance put up by the two armored truck drivers.  A chase scene ensues with Banner and Miguel getting left behind, but Zoe managing to cling on to the back and commandeer the vehicle.  Before continuing on, she has Russell and Travis call in to whomever may be concerned in order to stave off any potential suspicion.  Despite his warnings, Russell tells Zoe that this will only make Natalie more skeptical.  All the same, Zoe directs them to a garage operated by Chop Shop (Marshawn Lynch).  With a name like that, I think you can guess what goes on at this business.  Zoe takes them there because the rig needs some repairs, and so that it can be fitted with a radio frequency identification (RFID) code.  This last bit will be important for the real robbery.  While they wait on these modifications, Zoe reveals her true target: a casino in Atlantic City.  She wants to steal $60 million from this establishment because they had cheated her father out of compensation for dying in the line of duty as a security guard.  As she changes into Travis’ uniform, Russell is able to slip away and get the drop on Zoe.  Yet, Travis cannot bring himself to shoot her because he is in love, and they carry on with the scheme.  Shortly thereafter, Natalie finds Russell.  At first, she assumes her husband is up to no good, but then Zoe coaxes Natalie onto the truck.  Now Zoe has another hostage.  Meanwhile, Banner and Miguel have recovered and are waiting for Zoe to emerge with the loot, aiming to double cross her.  The two men ambush Zoe and the rest where she had stashed a get away car.  They are kept from getting away by Russell and Travis, who fight back.  Spurring on their effort is the fact that Banner takes Natalie hostage.  With Miguel going down in the chaos, Russell and Travis go after Banner, while Banner is chasing Zoe.  There is another chase scene, this time with the police joining in, which ends at an airstrip.  There, Zoe has a plane waiting for her, but she saves Russell and Travis first from the now burning armored vehicle.  Once this is accomplished, they are pinned down by a machine gun toting Banner, but he is knocked out by Zoe.  Since Travis is still sweet on Zoe, he lets her get away before the other three turn themselves over to the police.  Before the end credits roll, we are shown Zoe inviting Travis to join her in Bali, and Natalie and Russell opening a bed and breakfast.

You can understand why Zoe would be on an island in the Pacific at the end of The Pickup, but Natalie and Russell operating a bed and breakfast is a little incongruous.  Then again, this is supposed to be a comedy, so I guess this is played for laughs.  It is also strange that during the final conversation over the phone between Travis and Zoe, that he is in the middle of a class for the police academy.  To be fair, this is set up earlier in the film as he often talks about wanting to be a policeman.  Even though he is some kind of idiot savant, he feels his family full of law enforcement officers wants him to join their ranks.  What makes this sequence odd is that he takes the call in the middle of a lesson and promptly gets up and leaves when she beckons.  She had invited him before taking off in the plane, so I am having trouble understanding why he did not leave at that time.  Still, this speaks to one of the few instances that caused me to take notes during the film. Namely, Zoe comments on how people are uncontrollable variables.  Granted, she is referring to the difficulty of taking into account the actions of others when planning a robbery.  What I took from it as a Catholic is that God is amazing in the variety of His creation.  A lot of this can be attributed to the fact that we are given free will.  Ironically enough, one of my spiritual directees earlier today was wondering aloud why God would give us free will instead of simply creating us as creatures that automatically obey His will.  In fact, more often than not, we choose the exact opposite of what will help our souls.  In the film, the unknown variable is Russell and Travis’ resistance when they are attacked.  They initially do the right thing in trying to prevent the theft.  Unfortunately, they later aid and abet a criminal.  She is meant to be sympathetic, getting even for what happened to her father.  However, such vengeance seeking is not Christ-like.  At the same time, with Russell and Travis’ decisions demonstrate the fluctuating nature of our hearts and souls.  It is a challenge to always choose God, but it is also always the right thing to do.

The right thing for you to do would to be to not watch The Pickup.  As I discussed in the beginning, it is basically the same kind of heist movie you have already seen.  I also find that I am not a fan of the criminals getting away with their crimes.  Thus, this one is a pass.