By Katelyn Needham
Photo courtesy Armored Car Productions
When David Ghantt pulled off one of the biggest cash heists in American history, he probably didn’t picture his life being turned into a box office comedy. But that’s exactly what happened.
The film Masterminds is based on a 1997 true event and follows Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis), a dull-witted armored-car driver turned bumbling James Bond wannabe. Ghantt is coerced by Kelly (Kristen Wiig) into robbing $17 million from the company he works for, and everything that follows is a crazy, somewhat true adventure that might come off as more of a parody than not.
Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess took on Masterminds, a film full of all the slapstick humor that has come to be expected from its award-winning cast: Galifianakis, Wiig, Jason Sudeikis and Owen Wilson. The strong cast did well, but like any comedy, there were moments that could have been executed differently and some jokes that fell a little flat.
Overall, it has some memorable, if not burned into the retinas, moments like terrifying contacts and a farcical engagement photo shoot. These scenes had audience members cackling in their seats and are reason enough to see the movie.
The film falls just short of the side-splitting movies Galifianakis has done in the past. However, Ghantt is right up his alley as a flamboyant and more than a little clueless anti-hero with a personality that adds to the joke in and of itself.
The plot had the capability of either being a fast-paced action hit or a ridiculous over-the-top comedy. It managed to straddle the two and stay afloat, which is no small feat. Masterminds won’t build up the success of The Hangover or Napoleon Dynamite, but it is a nice Friday night flick to catch with friends when you want to have a good laugh.
