Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- wacky
- irreverent
- deadpan
- lazy sunday
- group comedy night
What critics said
Critics generally found the talented cast and stranger-than-fiction premise appealing but felt the scattershot, overextended comedy wasted its potential.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
David Ghantt is manipulated into participating in the armored-car theft and is left responsible when the conspirators betray him.
Steve Chambers and his collaborators execute an absurdly faulty heist while recklessly spending the stolen money.
David’s attraction to Kelly helps draw him from monotonous armored-car work into a multimillion-dollar robbery.
The cast plays the increasingly ridiculous robbery, betrayals, luxuries, and pursuit with poker-faced commitment.
Films like Masterminds, and why
Pain & Gain
shares a true-crime heist premise, broad comedy, eccentric criminals, and an increasingly chaotic getaway
The Ladykillers
shares an inept criminal ensemble, absurd escalation, and a comic tone built around incompetent plotting
A Fish Called Wanda
shares a small-scale robbery, deadpan absurdism, naïve criminals, and offbeat character comedy
Raising Arizona
shares a comic caper structure, lavish stolen-money fantasies, and a protagonist overwhelmed by criminal consequences
Movie Details
- Director
- Jared Hess
- Release Date
- 2016-09-29
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (1903)
Cast
- Zach Galifianakis
- Owen Wilson
- Kristen Wiig
- Kate McKinnon
- Leslie Jones
- Jason Sudeikis
- Mary Elizabeth Ellis
- Ken Marino
- Karsten Friske
- Dallas Edwards
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Masterminds about?
- A naïve armored-car driver joins a disastrous cash heist and becomes the expendable scapegoat in a wildly inept criminal scheme.
- What is Masterminds like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Masterminds as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Masterminds violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Masterminds as mild.
- What did critics think of Masterminds?
- Critics generally found the talented cast and stranger-than-fiction premise appealing but felt the scattershot, overextended comedy wasted its potential.
- Which films are like Masterminds?
- Films with a similar feel include Pain & Gain, The Ladykillers, A Fish Called Wanda, and Raising Arizona.
- How long is Masterminds?
- Masterminds runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch Masterminds?
- In United States, Masterminds streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
