The Mastermind
J.B Mooney (Josh O'Connor, "Challengers," "La Chimera") is an unemployed carpenter who spends a lot of time at the (fictional) Framingham Art Museum with his wife Terri (Alana Haim, "Licorice Pizza") and twins Tommy and Carl (fraternal twins Jasper and Sterling Thompson), but his family has no idea he's planning to rob the place, nor does his mother (Hope Davis) realizing she's subsidizing the crime when he lies about needing supplies for a nonexistent job. As young American soldiers lose their lives in Vietnam, James bets on his entitlement and loses in "The Mastermind."
Laura's Review: A-
Writer/director Kelly Reichardt's ("First Cow," "Showing Up") latest is both a compelling character study and a snapshot of American life in New England circa 1970, the latter of which is captured in soft palette of autumnal tones by cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt. The film is something of an anti-heist movie, a portrait of a man from a privileged background trying to coast through life with little regard for others as other men fight for his freedom. Reichardt more than likely didn't intend the comparison, but "The Mastermind" could be viewed as a critique of the current oval office occupier (Reichardt was actually inspired by a Worcester, MA, art heist that two teenaged girls got wrapped up in).
J.B. cases the joint during that family outing, dropping his keys on the floor to observe a sleeping guard and stealthily opening the back of a case and palming a wooden figure, later dumping it into his wife's handbag. But he's really focused on four paintings by American modernist Arthur Dove and as part of his prep work, has gotten cards picturing the four works to give to his accomplices. But Guy Hickey (Eli Gelb) isn't thrilled that J.B.'s tapped their former high school weed dealer Ronnie Gibson (Javion Allen) as part of the crew and on the day of the heist, besides learning his kids don't have school that day, J.B.'s driver Larry Duffy (Cole Doman) bails, leaving J.B. no other choice but to pilot the getaway car. Guy and Ronnie are surprised by a high school student as they're taking the paintings off the wall and Guy is surprised when Ronnie pulls a gun on her. After having to tackle a guard on the way out, they then find their exit route blocked by that high school girls friends' vehicle and Ronnie pulls his gun again to get them to move. Things go from bad to worse for J.B. and after Ronnie's apprehended trying to pull a bank job, J.B.'s visited by two police detectives. So he pulls the 'my dad is a judge' card, brings his wife and kids to his folks' house and skips town with the money left over from his mom's loan, beginning a downward spiral into darkness.
O'Connor has been building a varied body of work and this role may offer his best to date, the man's enigmatic smile hinting at unjustified confidence until the noose begins to tighten. He doesn't appear to care about how his actions affect those around him, yet gradually the actor lets dawning recognition of consequences seep out, first with the friends, Fred (John Magaro) who's chuffed by his notoriety and Maude (Gaby Hoffmann) who sees the danger he's foisted upon them, when Maude asks him to leave, later when his phone call home to a clearly fed up Terri sounds truly repentant. Reichardt gives her protagonist a thoroughly ironic finale. Supporting cast all do their parts to create the idea of his world, from Haims quietly disapproving wife to his more outspoken dad (Bill Camp). As usual, the ever authentic Hoffman ties a bow on it.
Production designer Anthony Gasparro offers up everything from a museum interior built within a warehouse ('Framingham's museum exterior is actually a library in Indiana) to suburban New England neighborhoods and business areas circa 1970 to the inner city dwellings of Ohio, captured by Blauvelt as fall descending into winter. Rob Mazurek of the jazz ensemble Chicago Underground Trio contributes a perfectly complementary jazz score using drums, xylophone and trumpet which is evocative of more traditional period heist films and darkens in tone as it goes along, one of the year's best.
Robin's Review: B+
Failed architect James Blaine Mooney (Josh O’Connor) is an amateur art thief with a great big idea. He and his buddies walk into the Framingham Museum of Art and, in broad daylight, walk out with four valuable Arthur Dove paintings in “The Mastermind.”
Loosely based on the 1972 Worcester Art Museum day-time robbery of over $1.000,000 of prized paintings, director-writer Kelly Reichardt moves the action to a fictional venue in Framingham MA. The heist is planned by the titular art theft coordinator, James, who brings together his accomplices and, despite their ineptness, actually pulls it off.
James carefully protects and stashes the precious paintings but the next step is not clear. It seems that he planned and pulled off the heist but did not plan on actually getting rid of the art works. Unsavory characters will solve that problem for him.
In the meantime, one of his last-minute accomplices goes off, robs a bank and gets caught. Guess who makes a deal with the cops? This changes things for James. Instead of his flawlessly planned get-rich-quick scheme, it turns into a “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight” of ineptness on many levels.
Josh O’Connor gives a good hangdog impression as he thinks he is really smart, but is not as events will prove. He is in to his mom (Hope Davis) for a lot of money that his dad (Bill Camp) knows nothing about. He promises her that he has a lucrative restoration job and will pay her back. It is, we learn, an empty promise made many times before.
Director Reichardt captures the look and feel of the early 1970s Greater Boston life. The jazzy score – lots of improv and snare drums – lends to the period feels of a bygone time.
This slice-of-life anatomy-of-a-loser story does not have heroes and villains, has no high-speed car chases and there are no shootouts. This may not be a draw for the average film-goer who wants that stuff. It is an unusual character study of a slacker who wants it all, without all that work.
Mubi releases "The Mastermind" in theaters on 10/24/25.
