The Mastermind (2025): “Maintenance Men, Jazz Vibes, and the Heist That Forgot to Be a Heist”

In this episode of Can I Change My Score?, Sophie and Matt wade through Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, a slow-burn, 1970s-set anti-heist movie that looks gorgeous, sounds incredible, and steadfastly refuses to make its audience feel anything. What starts with lush autumnal colours, jazzy needle-drops, and the promise of a clever art theft quickly drifts into an extended study of a man gently… existing. Sophie struggles to locate any actual unraveling, Matt questions the film’s commitment to its own premise, and both hosts wonder why a movie about failure is so allergic to tension, desperation, or emotional consequence. Along the way, they unpack the misused potential of Alana Haim, the mystery of Josh O’Connor’s performance, the difference between slow cinema and stalled cinema, and why watching cars drive around is not a substitute for character development. Stylish, inert, and oddly beig; this is one mastermind that never quite earns the title. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.