Review of Masterminds (2016) by Kristen H — 23 Jan 2017

Except for a few big laughs, "Masterminds" is lacking the funny.

Resorting to many gross-humor scenes, the movie fails to deliver for the most part. If you are a big fan of director Jared Hess' other films like "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Nacho Libre," perhaps it will be right in your wheelhouse.

"This film's a little bit like 'Fargo' in that there's some dark stuff, yet it can still be funny," said Owen Wilson, who plays ringleader Steve Chambers. "Most of the things in this movie really happened, and it's all so crazy and ridiculous, I thought if we just honored that, we'd be OK.".

Based on a true story, "Masterminds" tells the tale of the 1997 Loomis Fargo heist in North Carolina. Zach Galifianakis plays the main character David Ghantt, who commits the robbery. His accomplices are Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig), Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) and a couple of other lackeys. Ghantt works at Loomis, an armored car company, and is seen as the man for the job as he is on the inside. Even though he is engaged to Jandice (Kate McKinnon), Ghantt falls for his former co-worker Campbell, who uses the crush to her advantage to convince him to rob his place of work.

This is where the whole "masterminds" part comes in as their gang of criminals aren't the sharpest tools in the shed.

"The story's great because it's about people who are valiantly trying to do something and they think they're doing a great job," said McKinnon. "They actually couldn't be doing a worse job, but their enthusiasm is a beautiful thing and that's an American tale.".

From the trailer, you would get the idea that the movie is going to a heist movie a la "Ocean's Eleven," except with dumb robbers. However, this is not the case. Yes, it is about a heist, but it happens so early in the film that it is mostly about the aftermath of said robbery. The aftermath includes running to Mexico, hiring an assassin, double-crosses, threats and lies.

The best performance came from Jason Sudeikis as assassin Mike McKinney. He steals the scenes he is in, and they are the ones I have been going back to when I talk to people about the film. It feels like one of those movies with a couple of memorable scenes that people will quote and tell other people about, but no one actually sits down to watch the whole movie.

I would recommend that you wait to see "Masterminds" in the convenience of your home, where you will probably find it even funnier as the jokes won't be coming at the $12-plus premium of a movie ticket.

(Relativity Studios).