Review – Masterminds
Masterminds is a movie about dumb people doing dumb things. The ultimately results in a dumb movie. However, thanks to the incredibly talented cast of great comedians, Masterminds isn’t a true trainwreck. Stupid? Absolutely. Funny? You’re damn right.
Loosely based on a true story, Masterminds is about David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis), a simple armored car driver who gets duped into stealing of $2 million from a bank, becoming the largest heist in American history.
The story is pretty ridiculous, even if it is based on the 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery. Essentially, David get’s conned into doing this because he is in love with Kelly (Kristen Wiig), even though he is engaged to the stone-faced Jandice (Kate McKinnon). Kelly knows David loves her and, with the assistance of Steve (Owen Wilson), pushes him to steal the money and then book it Mexico, to only come back when he finds out his money and his girl are in trouble. I mean, I guess the plot doesn’t necessarily matter at the end. It is stupid, but I’m literally on IMDB right now looking up what the movie was actually about, that’s how forgettable it is.
What makes this movie is the cast. This is the best Galifianakis has been since the first Hangover (2009). With his ridiculous wig, weird accent, and perfect slapstick humor, he’s a blast to watch. Wiig is her usual self, though she is more of the damsel in distress in this movie than a comedic force. Owen Wilson is a slimy as ever, and Kate McKinnon, in her brief scenes, is simply perfect, continuing to prove that she is one of the best comedians, male or female, doing anything today. And let me tell you about Jason Sudeikis as the hitman hired to kill Ghantt. Playing the worst hitman of all-time with an affinity for old weapons and the thrill of the chase, Sudeikis steals the entire movie. He’s a weird and hilarious loose canon that I could have watched for hours. I want a spin-off of his character, he’s that good.
Masterminds can take the crown of the most ironic movie title of the year, which is obviously the point. This is an incredibly stupid movie about incredibly stupid people doing incredibly stupid things. But, this movie and the cast made me laugh a lot more than I expected, so for that, I have to appreciate it.
MY RATING – 2.5/4
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