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The deadpan grotesquerie so often favored by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) sways precariously back and forth between “goofy” and “when will this be over” in a loose adaptation of a real-life heist. Zach Galifianakis plays David, a good-natured armored car driver who’s cajoled by an ex-co-worker (Kristen Wiig) and her criminally-minded friend (Owen Wilson) into stealing $17 million from his employer. The supporting cast also features Jason Sudeikis, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, and with that much comedic firepower it’s hard not to find at least a few inspired moments of weirdness. Too often, though, there’s an assumption that funny hair (particularly David’s page-boy ’do) or funny voices will carry the story as the bumbling thieves make their inevitable mistakes. And it’s never clear from one moment to the next whether Hess wants to anchor the story in the real-life facts or in absurdist asides and loud chase sequences. It may be worth a big laugh when Wiig serenades Galifianakis with nonsensical vocal runs, but many of the other set-ups can’t seem to manage more than a smile or a shrug.
Official Site: www.mastermindsmovie.com
Director: Jared Hess
Producer: Lorne Michaels, John Goldwyn, Ryan Kavanaugh, Dana Brunetti, Kevin Messick, Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Erin David, Joseph Nicholas, Jerry Lasky, Tucker Tooley, Jill Messick, Adam Fields, Andrew Panay, Kenneth Halsband, Brent Almond and Brett Dahl
Cast: Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Ross Kimball, Devin Ratray, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Jason Sudeikis, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Jon Daly, Ken Marino and Daniel Zacapa
Director: Jared Hess
Producer: Lorne Michaels, John Goldwyn, Ryan Kavanaugh, Dana Brunetti, Kevin Messick, Jody Hill, Danny McBride, Erin David, Joseph Nicholas, Jerry Lasky, Tucker Tooley, Jill Messick, Adam Fields, Andrew Panay, Kenneth Halsband, Brent Almond and Brett Dahl
Cast: Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, Ross Kimball, Devin Ratray, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Jason Sudeikis, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Jon Daly, Ken Marino and Daniel Zacapa
