‘Masterminds’ is About Bumbling Idiots

With an impressive cast of comedic actors including Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, and Jason Sudeikis, the new comedy “Masterminds” hits theaters on Friday.

Its behind-the-scenes pedigree is also outstanding, as it’s directed by Jared Hess of “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre” fame and produced by “SNL” kingpin Lorne Michaels.

“Masterminds” puts a comic spin on the largest cash heist in U.S. history.

Add the fact that the film was screened last week for Los Angeles critics who exploded with laughter throughout, and it might appear it’s got a chance for hit status at the box office. Yet the movie’s road to release has been a bumpy one, and serves up an example of how Hollywood sometimes snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

“Masterminds” puts a comic spin on the largest cash heist in U.S. history, following loser armored-truck driver David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) after he helped rip off $17 million from a bank by literally driving away with the cash and helping to hide it. David is engaged to an ill-matched woman and actually harbors feelings for Kelly (Kristen Wiig), his partner in the truck.

It’s Kelly’s shady friend, Steve (Owen Wilson), who encourages the crime, and when he dupes David into going to Mexico to wait for the coast to clear and receive the rest of his $3 million share, a string of mishaps ensues.

What’s remarkable is that the real-life people portrayed not only allowed themselves to be portrayed as bumbling idiots, but Ghantt himself served as a consultant on the movie. This is truly a case of truth is stranger than fiction.

“Masterminds” was supposed to come out in August 2015, but was mired in the bankruptcy protection efforts of its studio, Relativity. It was pulled abruptly from release because Relativity wasn’t allowed to release anything amid the proceedings, and now the film marks the first major release from the troubled studio after it emerged from the process.

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The film is also the big comeback shot of its director, Hess. After coming out of nowhere with “Napoleon” in 2004, he solidified his success with “Nacho Libre” before falling off a cliff with one of the biggest disasters in Hollywood history — a 2010 film called “Gentlemen Broncos,” which earned just $100,000 at the box office.

Hess’ unique comic vision is on full display in the film, which is packed with offbeat visual touches — including some of the worst wigs and disguises imaginable. The film also continues his love for portraying underdogs, offering a view of American lives that is affectionately absurd.

“Masterminds” is opening on a weekend that offers four other wide releases in theaters, offering up a marked contrast to disaster film “Deepwater Horizon” and Tim Burton’s latest fantasy, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” among others. It also is suffering from a strange and completely misguided lack of faith from Relativity, which had an embargo preventing all reviews about the movie from running until Thursday morning.

Ultimately, “Masterminds” isn’t the kind of movie that attempts to become a total box-office champion, but it serves up some laughs. Whether viewers check it out will be a question answered by Monday.