Kristen Wiig and Zach Galifianakis burgle and bungle in the Masterminds trailer

Director Jared Hess has made a career out of chronicling dumb, awkward people: Dumb, awkward teens in Napoleon Dynamite, a dumb, awkward wrestler in Nacho Libre, and dumb, awkward writers in Gentlemen Broncos. (He also recently sold a film to Lionsgate about some religious treasure hunters who are probably neither graceful nor smart.) Now, the trailer for his upcoming film Masterminds, starring Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, and Owen Wilson, reveals that he’s finally grabbing the brass ring of dumb, awkward cinematic subjects: Criminals.

Based on a true story, the trailer sees Galifianakis as a disaffected armored car driver who decides to walk off with more than $17 million of his employer’s money, assisted by girlfriend Wiig and braces-bearing sociopath Wilson. The role seems tailor-made for the comedian and Hangover star, a mixture of self-centered idiocy and sincerity that sees him praying earnestly to God for help in committing his multimillion dollar heist.

If the trailer’s anything to go by, Mastermind viewers can expect to be treated to a cavalcade of dumb antics, some Beastie Boys tunes, a passel of questionable Southern accents, and a lot of very luxurious-looking hair. Plus, Jason Sudeikis is there, proving once again that he’s capable of saying basically anything with nonchalant charm, up to and including offering to murder a child in cold blood.

 
Join the discussion...