Masterminds Review

Masterminds Review

The funniest part of Masterminds was when one of the two people with me in the theater walked out in the middle of the movie and never came back. That should tell you something right there. Masterminds is an incredibly stupid film that doesn't really do many things right. It’s not funny, insightful, romantic, or entertaining. It is just a giant waste of time which is a shame because of all the talent involved with the film. However, sometimes it takes some truly talented people to make a truly terrible movie.

Our story is loosely base on the real life Loomis Fargo Robbery in North Carolina, 1997. It focuses on David Scott Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) who is one of the best employees in Loomis Fargo. However one day Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig), who David has a crush on, asks David for help to rob from Loomis Fargo because he works there. He says yes after she seduces him. Lead by Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson), David and the gang steal 17 million dollars and after that crazy hijinks issues. 

What is really disappointing is the waste of talent. Every character in this movie is either annoying or incomprehensibly stupid. I like Zach Galifianakis but in this movie he has maybe the worst southern accent I have ever heard and for some reason he has the haircut of Benny Andersson from ABBA. Also, David is really hard to root for because he stupidly follows the robbery plan and for one second doesn't think about how this might not end up badly for him. I understand that he was blinded by love but it was pretty obvious that he was being manipulated and anyone could have figured that out. Kelly is pretty unlikable because she is manipulating David’s emotions so she and Steve can get some money. I might have been able to understand her better if we could understand why she is manipulating David but I don't think she has a very good reason. Kate McKinnon plays David’s fiancé and acts in a very mellow and creepy way like she is about to kill someone. It honestly comes across more unsettling than funny or entertaining. Leslie Jones plays a police officer and is barely is in the film. I will say that Owen Wilson is pretty decent as Steve Chambers and I even like Jason Sudeikis as the bounty hunger Mike McKinney. However like many of the characters in the movie they make unbelievably stupid decisions. There is even a twist about Mike McKinney that will make you want to facepalm yourself.

Throughout the film we see a romance developing between David and Kelly. However, it seems that this romance is based on the fact that David thinks Kelly is hot and rebellious. I also think the filmmakers want us to want these two to get together based on the fact that David’s fiancé is a creep. So when there were dramatic scenes between the two characters I really did not care. 

All of this would be acceptable if the movie was funny but it wasn’t. We get fart jokes, sex jokes, poop jokes, pop culture jokes, genitalia jokes, hair jokes, and Mexican stereotype jokes and none of them are funny. Most of the jokes are lazy, easy, and bottom of the barrel gags. There are even long stretches in the film in which there isn't a joke and you just sit there and get bored.

I get the feeling that the filmmakers were trying to make a film sorta in the vein of something like the Wolf of Wall Street. A film in which we watch greedy and manipulative people get money and success, and laugh at their shenanigans. However, that film works because it naturally showed us how greed and the American way made the characters power-hungry and insane, which would lead to some drama and some comedy. In Masterminds, I think it’s trying to do the same thing except that this movie would throw in unfunny gags which feel unnatural and forced.

I did like some things in this movie. Like I said earlier, I like Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis. There are even some scenes in which I chucked in, like a scene with Jason Sudeikis and a gun. However, overall Masterminds is a terrible film with really stupid and annoying character that we don't care about and mostly unfunny jokes. Humor is subjective and if you think this is your kind of movie then I guess I can’t stop you. Even though there are much better things to do than see this movie. All I can say is that even though the movie is called Mastermind, it definitely was not made by masterminds.

Grade: D-