By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.7 cats
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Starring: Alana Haim | Bill Camp | Gabby Hoffmann | Jasper Thompson | Josh O’Connor | Sterling Thompson
Year: 2025
Running time: 110
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33455099
Diane says: “For Kelly Reichardt’s THE MASTERMIND, I’ve liked the reviews more than the movie. E.g., Reichardt ‘may never have met a genre she couldn’t meticulously deconstruct’ (Variety). Here it’s the heist movie, which is, of course, a character study. Slacker JB (Josh O’Connor, who hasn’t won me over yet) disregards the political turbulence around him–it’s 1970–and takes for granted the financial and emotional support he gets from his parents, wife, and children.
Michael says: “This is classic Reichardt, but doesn’t quite reach the levels of some of her past work. Details the astounding execution of an art heist at a suburban (Framingham, MA) museum, and its fumbling follow-up. The film seems to me more about the time period than the actual heist, and while Josh O’Connor does a fine job as our lead character, I found the supporting characters more interesting and wanted to see more of them (Hope Davis, Gabby Hoffman, Eli Gelb, and Alan Haim in particular). Still, a new Kelly Reichardt film is always a treat.”
“IFFBoston Fall Focus 2025
“Follow-up: I saw the film a second time when it played the Water’s Edge Cinema in Provincetown and enjoyed it even more. I’ve come to appreciate O’Connor’s nuanced performance even more (and looking at his work in THE HISTORY OF SOUND and REBUILDING, I’m finally appreciating the talent he possesses — it took me a while). The film moves at a very leisurely pace, as you might expect from Reichardt, and the humor is very subtle, but appreciated, as it gets pretty serious in the second half of the film. As I mentioned above, Reichardt spends a lot of time signaling what was going on in the early 70’s politically in a way that is beautifully integrated into the story, until it comes to the fore in a very ironic manner at the film’s conclusion. I really appreciate her skill as a filmmaker. 4 cats”
Ivy says: “I saw this film simply as Reichardt’s study in showing us what straight, cis, white male privilege looks like in action in the US. I found the film funny, the main character a complete buffoon and ass, and this complete shock at actual punishment to be delightful at the end.
“I found it a pleasure from beginning to end. Agreed it is slight. But agree that a new Reichardt is a gift. I rarely get to laugh out loud during her films, and I appreciated that at this moment, she gave me that.”
VJ replies: “Kelly lives in Portland, and we had one indie theater screening it. Regal screened it in the suburbs. I am mystified about that.
“I got to catch it twice and really enjoyed it. It’s no FIRST COW, but it was delightful in a yellowy 70s way. (And yeah, Ivy, what you said.)
“She did a couple Q&As for it, and as usual she was in fine form. She’s so dry, suffers no fools and she does it in an absolutely elegant way.”
Cobi says: “Kelly Reichardt humorously does her version of a heist film by mostly ignoring the ‘heist.’ Instead, she focuses on routines, boredom, and confusion in 1970s New England; a world still processing Vietnam and losing trust in institutions.
“The setting resonated with me: the houses, clothes, and textures reminded me of my own family homes and photos growing up in MetroWest Boston. Josh O’Connor gives a beautifully inward performance, with John Magaro popping nicely in support. The slowness made me lean in, not drift. The film sits comfortably alongside other recent stories about lower-middle-class white men losing power and seeking meaning (ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER; EDDINGTON; BUGONIA; CAUGHT STEALING). The ending lands softly but purposefully, reframing the whole film. 4 cats”