Comedy is a tricky genre to analyze. What one person finds hilarious may leave another stone-faced. Masterminds is certain to leave as many scratching their heads as it amuses. It has a decidedly unique and peculiar sense of humor. Thankfully, I happen to share an appreciation for this odd brand of tomfoolery; one that appears to relish the bizarre and awkward, even in the mundane.
The plot is (very, very, very) loosely based on a real incident that took place in the 1990s. David Ghentt (Zach Galifianakis) is a friendly but odd-looking armed car security guard; he is described by associates as having the appearance of a love child between Kenny Rogers and Kenny Loggins. Despite his engagement to the strangely controlling Jandice (Kate McKinnon), David yearns for change. He also has a serious crush on his co-worker, Kelly (Kristen Wiig). Knowing this, Kelly and her friend Steve (Owen Wilson) attempt to convince David to pull a heist for them and wait in Mexico. She promises to soon follow and start a new life with him (which, according to her, involves rubbing each other all day with coconut oil as well as eating jam). Of course, David can’t say no and gets himself embroiled in the plot.
Director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre, Gentlemen Broncos) has a specific comedic style, although this particular effort wasn’t written by the filmmaker. In some respects, it seems a little more straightforward and less surreal than his previous work. In fact, there’s plenty of broad slapstick humor that wouldn’t feel out of place in a 80s comedy. A couple of the pratfalls are amusing (particularly during a break-in late in the feature), but at other times it is not as effective. Yet, he’s managed to leave some trace of his unique approach, like an engagement photo shoot scene that looks as if it were inspired by the Awkward Family Photos book series.
However, what really stands out are the strange little interactions between characters. The behavior of the characters is as eccentric as the garish costuming. Exchanges are full of awkward contact, miscommunications, unintentional double entendres, long pauses and general looks of confusion on the part of its characters. There’s some hysterically ill-at-ease moments between David and Kelly at a diner when she attempts to rope him in to the plan. At another point, a nervous character in a dangerous situation can’t seem to stop his nose from whistling as he breathes. It’s the little mundane tics that result in some of the movie’s funniest moments.
The endearing qualities of the protagonist also help tremendously. David is certainly not the sharpest knife in the drawer and he may be committing an illegal act, but deep down he consistently comes across as a sweet and affable guy. Even though he constantly looks ridiculous, Galifianakis keeps the personality of the character low-key and courteous. He’s just a nice, easily manipulated guy who over the course of the film must stand up and not allow himself to be used by others.
The humor is broad and the film is choppy here and there, but the amusingly strange turns of phrase and moments of surreal humor earn it enough laughs to recommend. For me, this isn’t on the same level as the previous movies that Hess and his wife have written together, but I still couldn’t help but appreciate the level of kindhearted weirdness on display. Masterminds isn’t exactly brilliant, but it does end up stealing some laughs.