Movie Review: Masterminds


From its trailer, Masterminds looked like it was going to be either stupid fun or just plain stupid. Luckily, it ended up being more of the former, and the cast - with three Ghostbusters alums and a handful of past SNL members, too - was also very good.

David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) works at Loomis Fargo with Kelly (Kristen Wiig), and he's among large amounts of cash all day long. In fact, he's one of their most trusted employees, so he even has a key to the vault. He also has a major crush on Kelly, who knows this but just wants to be his friend. After Kelly quits Loomis, a few weeks later she falls in with childhood friend Steve (Owen Wilson) and his friends, and Steve has a brilliant idea: they should rob Loomis Fargo, and enlist David to help them do this. Kelly gives David a call, and although he has reservations, he would do anything for her, so the heist is a go; though there will be some unforeseen complications before, during, and after the heist.

This movie was actually based on a true story, although I'm assuming the people involved weren't quite as dumb as the characters in this movie; the book written about it is called Heist! The Oddball Crew Behind the $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft, by Jeff Diamant, and was originally published in 2002This film reminded me of a spoof on James Bond at times, especially during the end, and you could tell that everyone had a lot of fun filming this movie - make sure to stay through the credits for outtakes, too, which were also hilarious. I haven't even mentioned Jason Sudeikis yet either, who plays a hitman hired by Steve to kill David, too, and both him and Galifianakis were my favorites in this movie; Ghostbusters alums Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon have roles here too, as a detective and as David's white-trash fiancee, respectively.

Yes, see this movie. It would be great for a matinee or if you're in the mood for a silly comedy or "popcorn movie." The cast is mostly comprised of A-listers and you can tell that they are good at what they do; with a lesser cast, this film probably wouldn't have been as funny. The movie is set in 1997, when the robbery happened in real life, too, but a few of the fashions almost seem '70s or '80s vs. late '90s; most of the characters are hillbillies, so that could be why. I'd recommend this movie if you're looking for something fun to see at the theater, but it's not one you'll be thinking about for a while after you've seen it.

Masterminds is in theaters today, September 30th, and is rated PG-13 with a runtime of 94 minutes. 3.5 stars out of 5.

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