Jared Hess (the director) is someone who doesn't believe in the usual comedic mould.
His vision of comedy is obscure in that he doesn't want us to laugh at the obvious slapstick.
He wants us to cringe a little at the truth behind his laughs.
While it's true that in the end comedies need to make us guffaw, chuckle, snicker, titter and chortle; the real art of comedy is to make us feel the pain of our protagonist.
I think in this regard, Jared Hess has achieved something rare.
A comedic protagonist who is very real and flawed and sad.
His sadness makes us laugh because of how bleak his existence is.
We feel for him and wish him all the best. I feel that people who don't get this movie are afraid of humanness in others.
That's why people are idiots. Because they see comedies as an excuse to simply laugh mindlessly at absurd plot lines. Comedies are also commentaries on the human condition. In spite of being marketed as slapstick, Masterminds is a film about a fragile soul in a dangerous world. Since making such a film a drama would turn away crowds in droves, the film maker re-framed it as something of a tragic comedy.
My heart felt for this hero who is at once self-deluded and incredibly sensitive.
If you have ever understood unconditional love, you might find something to love in Masterminds too.
