Starring: Zach Galifiniakis, Owen Wilson, Kristin Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, Kate MacKinnon, Leslie Jones
Distributor: Roadshow Films
Runtime: 95 mins. Reviewed in Oct 2016
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Masterminds they are not!
This is a surprisingly enjoyable comedy, better than might have been expected, providing some laughs and some appreciative chuckles. While it is a comedy, the film has a serious underlying plot, based on actual events of 1997, the robbery of $17 million from an armoured car in a somewhat backwoods area of North Carolina. Working title of the film was Armoured Car.
What makes the difference, and one wonders how much this was based on the actual character, is Galifiniakis’ performance as David Ghant, a very ordinary type, more than a touch of the dumb, yet with a certain innate shrewdness, engaged to a harridan of a woman (Kate MacKinnon) who feels she needs to get married especially after her loving fiance dies and all that seems to be left is David.
He works for a company transferring cash for banks, and is partnered with a woman that he does not realise he is smitten with, Kelly, Kristin Wiig, though she is part of a bunch of crooks, led by Steve, Owen Wilson, who think that it would be a good idea to use David to rob the armoured car company.
This actually happens – but not without a great deal of goofy pratfalls as David single-handed takes all the money in the vault.
Needless to say, he is to be the fall guy, urged to go down to Mexico with his trousers full of cash, Kelly promising to come to be with him, but…
On the one hand there is the comedy as the less than mastermind Steve is goaded by his wife to buy clothes, then a sports car, then more sports cars, then a mansion…
In the meantime, David becomes a bit more savvy, is able to elude the police, disguise himself, but is confronted by a hitman sent by his colleagues. The hitman is played by Jason Sudeikis who provides a lot of the comedy with his serious take on his job, discovering that David has been given his name and, instead of being suspicious, remembers The Parent Trap and how two siblings could grow up without knowing each other!
There are some final shenanigans at a big party hosted by Steve, with the FBI agents closing in for arrests.
Though the film was made before the recent Ghostbusters, this film does feature three of them, Kristin Wiig, Kate MacKinnon and, as an FBI agent, Leslie Jones.
Probably rather silly, but not a swear word within earshot, some very mild rude jokes, but a pleasing enough hour and a half.
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