Masterminds is another movie based on a true story. But unlike the intense new action drama Deepwater Horizon, Masterminds plays for laughs. It’s a bizarre comedy directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite; Nacho Libre) that recounts one of the largest bank heists in U.S. history: the 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery in North Carolina. Zach Galifianakis plays David Ghantt, a gullible schlub whose ‘work crush’ Kelly (Kristin Wiig) convinces him to use his position as an armored-car driver to pull off the ultimate inside job. David steals 17 million dollars and turns most of it over to the yahoos who masterminded the heist and set him up to take the fall.
The cast of characters include Kate McKinnon as David’s less-than-loving fiancé Jandice; Owen Wilson as Steve, aka Gepetto, the low-life who’s pulling David’s strings and spending most of the money; and Jason Sudeikis as a hilarious hit man named Mike McKinney who is dispatched to Mexico to track and kill David.
In a nutshell, Masterminds is stupid funny, and truth be told, is probably best described as “loosely based” on the heist and subsequent investigation. It reminded me a lot of the 2013 movie Pain & Gain that was inspired by a kidnapping and extortion scheme in Florida that went terribly awry. That one was more absurd. This one definitely takes a more comical approach. Neither screamed to be seen on the big screen.
If you’re a fan of SNL skits and actors, comedies and crime, then you may like Masterminds. It won’t blow your mind, but it doesn’t suck.