Welcome to this week’s edition of Movie Reviews 2025, where body swap shenanigans are high on the agenda. Freakier Friday, the belated sequel to Freaky Friday arrives in cinemas this week, so if you’ve ever wanted to know the pros and cons of trading places with someone, now is the time to find out.
Plus this week Eddie Murphy stars in Amazon’s action comedy, The Pickup, while Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal team up for ‘70s comedy classic, What’s Up, Doc?. And if that wasn’t enough there’s a little ol’ horror by the name of Weapons.
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Now streaming…
The Pickup (2025)
First up this week is the action comedy, The Pickup. Directed by Tim Story, the film stars Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer, and Eva Longoria (last seen in last week’s awful War of the Worlds), and tells the story of two security guards who are hijacked during a routine job.
In the film, Murphy plays seasoned security guard Russell Pierce. His day-to-day job is to pick up cash deposits from banks, and he’s been doing this successfully for years.
On the day of his wedding anniversary, Russell is accompanied by newbie security guard, Travis Stolly (Davidson). The pair are sent on a routine job and once their shift is over, Russell has plans to enjoy a celebratory anniversary dinner with his wife.
But a short way into the day, Russell and Travis are attacked by a gang of thieves. The gang is determined to run their armoured truck off the road, which puts those anniversary plans in doubt.
Over the last few months there has been an increasing trend of streaming services leaning into action movies as their go-to offering. Back in Action, G20, Exterritorial, The Old Guard 2, and Heads of State, are just a few of the action films which have been popping up on streaming.
Some of these movies have been fine, others not so much. The Pickup is the latest actioner to add to the list, and thankfully it falls into the former category rather than the latter.
As action entertainment goes, The Pickup is OK and at times enjoyable enough. Let’s not go crazy and think this is anything amazing, because it’s not, but at around 90(ish) minutes it sort of hits the spot.
The cast are decent, with Murphy in particular fairly solid. The Murphy/Davidson pairing is also a winner.
Keke Palmer and Eva Longoria take supporting roles, and again they fit well with what’s on offer. Longoria doesn’t get much to do, but she sells the few lines she has, while Palmer is strong as a questionable character who complicates the lives of Russell and Travis.
Add to this a couple of likeable set pieces, including the attack on the armoured truck, and The Pickupis enjoyable. It’s not as funny as it wants to be, and occasionally the momentum dips, but yeah, it’s alright.
Should you wish to check out The Pickup, the movie is available to stream on Amazon. There’s no need to rush, but if you’re planning on beers and a takeaway this weekend, then The Pickup would provide suitable entertainment.
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On disc…
What’s Up, Doc? (1972)
Sliding over to physical media now for the Blu-ray release of the 1972 screwball comedy, What’s Up, Doc?. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich, and starring Barbra Streisand, Ryan O’Neal, Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, and Madeline Kahn, the film tells the story of a musicologist who finds himself in the midst of a very chaotic situation.
In the movie, Dr. Howard Bannister travels from his home in Iowa to a San Francisco hotel, in the hope of securing a research grant. Accompanying Howard is his fiancée Eunice, and a rather distinct plaid travel bag which contains rocks.
Three other people with the same style travel bag are also in attendance at the hotel. One of these bags contains clothes, the next contains jewellery, and the final bag holds top secret documents.
Over the course of the next few hours, the bags become switched, lost, and chased around the hotel rooms. Not that Howard notices, as he is too busy trying to contend with the affections of likeable troublemaker, Judy Maxwell, who appears to have taken a considerable shine to him.
Often regarded as one of the best comedies of the ‘70s, it’s fair to say What’s Up, Doc? is a hoot-and-a-half which brings the laughs and then some! The script is witty, the interplay between the characters is snappy, and the cast are all comedic geniuses.
Lead stars Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal are magnificent as Judy and Howard, with Streisand a particular revelation. The actress fires her dialogue at the screen with such energy and precision, it’s difficult not to be bewitched by her charms, and you fall in love with her as soon as she utters a word.
Meanwhile, supporting players Kenneth Mars and Austin Pendleton are a delight, while Madeline Kahn is superb in the role of Eunice. What’s Up, Doc? marked Kahn’s feature film debut, and it proved to be a brilliant opener which quickly put her on equal footing with her seasoned peers.
Outside of the cast, Bogdanovich’s staging and direction is smart and well played; the gag rate is high; and the set pieces are creative. Towards the climax of the picture, all the major players are brought together for a car chase throughout the streets of San Francisco and it becomes a spirited sequence with plenty of slapstick.
And then to add to this, the film contains a romance between Howard and Judy which simmers throughout. It’s a romance which sees Judy essentially wear Howard down, but it is fun to watch and sits nicely alongside the bag hijinks and car chase chaos.
If you’ve never watched What’s Up, Doc? but you’re a fan of farcical films, now is your chance to play catch-up on a classic. The aesthetic might look a bit dated to modern eyes, but the comedy has lost none of its zing and the film still has the power to entertain its audience.
Should you wish to grab a copy, the What’s Up, Doc? blu-ray is available now from entertainment retailers priced around £14.99. Sadly the release is devoid of extras, but you still get Streisand giving it her all, so this more than makes up for it.
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In cinemas…
Freakier Friday (2025)
Over to the big screen now for teen body swap comedy, Freakier Friday. Directed by Nisha Ganatra, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Mark Harmon, and Chad Michael Murray, the movie is a belated sequel to 2003’s Freaky Friday, picking up the story in real-time over twenty years later.
In this instalment, life has moved on for Tess Coleman and her now adult daughter, Anna. Tess is an author and podcaster; Anna has a teenage daughter of her own named Harper; and the family is set to expand when Anna marries Eric and gains a step-daughter in Lily.
But family life gets complicated when Tess and Anna experience another body swap. However, rather than switching with each other, this time Tess trades places with Lily, while Anna trades places with Harper.
Cast your mind back to the much simpler (and some would argue much better) time of 2003, you may recall how enjoyable Freaky Friday was. The film – a remake of the previous Freaky Friday movies – was a good ol’ slice of ‘00s fun, which was bolstered by great performances from Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan.
The film wasn’t groundbreaking, it was simply a good time at the flicks. Twenty-two years on and Freakier Friday is more of the same.
This follow-up takes the tried-and-tested formula, adds in some new gags, drops in a likeable pop soundtrack (Chappell Roan, Spice Girls, etc), and dances around the body swap antics until the inevitable reset.
There’s no major stakes, because it’s obvious everything will resolve itself, but that’s not the point. The aim of the film is to have a good time, while reminding the audience (in a timely manner) that we can all find common ground if we experience life through someone else’s eyes.
In this film, it’s the two teens who are at odds, and need the opportunity to work things out via a switcheroo. Tess and Anna essentially get caught in the crossfire and chaos ensues.
When everyone switches places the film really hits its stride. The magic which made the first movie work, i.e. the chemistry between Curtis and Lohan is re-channeled, and there’s a lot of laughs from old characters becoming young and vice versa.
OK, so things do get a bit confusing from time-to-time, trying to remember who is supposed to be who, but it’s not too difficult to let the whole thing wash over you and run with it regardless.
There’s plenty of heart in here, as well as some well-meaning commentary on blended families. Plus, Jamie Lee Curtis pokes fun at herself on multiple occasions and who doesn’t enjoy watching that?
Last week saw the release of comedy spoof, The Naked Gun, and lots of chuckles were thrown at the screen. However, that offering wasn’t necessarily family-friendly.
Freakier Friday plugs the gap in the summer blockbuster schedule, by bringing the laughs AND by being suitable for the tween crowd. It keeps its eye on what made the original film a success, offers more of the same, and allows Curtis and Lohan to have an absolute ball.
So, if you are looking for a bit of family fun this summer, Freakier Friday is probably what you’re looking for. And even if it doesn’t quite tickle your pickle, there’s no doubt Curtis and Lohan enjoyed making this film.
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In cinemas…
Weapons (2025)
And finally, in Zach Creggers mystery-horror, Weapons, the time is 2:17am and in the town of Maybrook, 17 children all from the same school class, leave their homes and disappear. The next morning their teacher, Justine Gandy arrives at school to discover only one of her pupils is in attendance.
An investigation is launched into the whereabouts of the missing children. Nothing is found.
Starring Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan, and Cary Christopher, Weapons is an unsettling, creepy, genuinely terrifying, thoroughly bloody good horror movie. The picture is built around a central mystery, which involves the disappearance of the 17 children, and then goes into some disturbing, engrossing, and surprising places.
The best advice I can offer with Weapons (other than to tell you to check it out) is to go into the picture knowing as little as possible. You can watch the teaser trailer, that won’t spoil things, but keep the rest of your knowledge to a minimum.
The way this film is staged, the way it is developed, and the way in which Creggers cranks up the scares and the tension is superb. I wasn’t a fan of his previous film, Barbarian, but I am a flag-waving, card-carrying fan of this one.
Weapons is a horror which has the power to get under the skin and into your head, and it captivates throughout every scene. From the opening sequence which details the disappearance, to the dramatic and somewhat frenzied finale (which won’t be ruined here), Weapons is top notch stuff.
The casting in this picture is spot on, with Julia Garner providing a solid turn as Justine Gandy. When the children disappear, Gandy becomes the chief suspect, and the film deals with the fallout of the situation as she becomes public enemy No.1.
Likewise, Josh Brolin is excellent as distraught father, Archer Graff, while the likes of Benedict Wong and Alden Ehrenreich slot in neatly as key members of the community. And there is Amy Madigan, who provides Weapons with a star performance.
What’s remarkable about the casting in Weapons is that many of the cast were not Creggers’ initial choice. A number of actors, including the Fantastic Four’s Pedro Pascal, had to drop out of Weapons due to scheduling conflicts, causing a recast, and yet this hasn’t impacted the picture at all.
Weapons is an impressive horror. It manages to frighten using very simple techniques, while the mystery is teased and twisted across the movie’s two hour runtime.
The end result is a picture which keeps interest levels high, and nails continually bitten. It’s excellent, do take a look.
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Movie of the Week
Onto Movie of the Week, and this week the film which takes the glory is Weapons. An engrossing and effective horror, which is sure to please fans of the genre.
And if you like Weapons you might also like:
- Barbarian (2022) – Weapons filmmaker Zach Cregger writes and directs this horror about a woman who rents a property only to discover it has been double-booked.
- The Black Phone (2021) – Director Scott Derrickson’s unsettling horror about a serial killer who abducts children.
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) – Sci-fi horror about humans being replaced by duplicates.
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Forthcoming attractions
And that’s your lot for another week. But coming soon Alison Brie and Dave Franco are inseparable in body horror, Together; Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch are divided in comedy-drama, The Roses; and Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are neither here nor there in The Conjuring: Last Rites.
Plus The Toxic Avenger, Nobody 2, The Map That Leads to You, The Thursday Murder Club, and Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. Oh, and three Stephen King adaptations in the shape of The Life of Chuck, The Long Walk, and The Running Man.
All of this and much more is on the horizon. Make sure you don’t miss a moment.
Alex
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Thank you for taking the time to read Movie Reviews 2025 on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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