Masterplan, Prime Video's Louvre heist comedy with Stanley Tucci, gets poor reviews
Prime Video's heist comedy Masterplan, starring Stanley Tucci, began streaming worldwide on 16 October. Reviews in Screen Rant and The Guardian both find it forgettable, though The Guardian is a little kinder.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Masterplan, a heist comedy directed by Thomas Vincent, began streaming on Prime Video on 16 October 2026. Screen RantN “Masterplan is streaming on Prime Video worldwide now.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ The GuardianLC “Masterplan is streaming on Amazon Prime Video now” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2Stanley Tucci plays Roger, a plummy-voiced English master thief who plans to steal the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. Screen RantN “he plays plummy-voiced, legendary English thief Roger, who sets his sights on the Mona Lisa” Read at Screen Rant ↗ The GuardianLC “As British criminal mastermind Roger, Tucci is game to send up aristo archetypes” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2Roger recruits two young criminals: Jay (Victor Belmondo), a French explosives expert, and Chiara (Simona Tabasco), an Italian cybercrime expert. They turn out to be his estranged children, who did not know about each other. Screen RantN “They just happen to be his estranged children, who aren't aware of each other's existence” Read at Screen Rant ↗ The GuardianLC “they are in fact brother and sister, the result of an energetic mid-90s for Roger where he seduced their respective mothers” Read at The Guardian ↗
Mixed · 2Both reviewers say the film draws on the Ocean's franchise. Screen Rant calls it a poor copycat with a terrible script and a runtime about 20 minutes too long. The Guardian says it avoids being a total retreat from the Ocean's 11 franchise but doesn't come close to matching those films' ingenuity. Screen RantN “Masterplan is a very consciously post-Ocean's Eleven caper” Read at Screen Rant ↗ The GuardianLC “avoids it feeling like a total retreat of the Ocean's 11 franchise, even if it doesn't come close to matching the ingenuity of those films” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2Both reviews single out the same line, in which Roger says that for an Englishman "not bad" is what he says when he orgasms. Screen Rant cites it as proof the script is bad. The Guardian treats it as part of Tucci sending up aristocratic types, and then uses "not bad" as its own faint-praise verdict. Screen RantN “"Darling, I'm English, 'not bad' is what I say when I orgasm"” Read at Screen Rant ↗ The GuardianLC ““Not bad” is what I say about Masterplan” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2Both reviewers also object to the film continuing the flirtation between Chiara and Jay after they learn they are siblings. Screen RantN “the initial gag of Chiara and Jay flirting before they know they're siblings continues well after the revelation” Read at Screen Rant ↗ The GuardianLC “You would think the fact that they are now siblings would put the kibosh on Jay and Chiara’s flirtation, but the film seems to feel otherwise.” Read at The Guardian ↗
Mixed · 2They differ on how well the film works. Screen Rant calls it "impressively unfunny" and "a mess", though it says the third-act twist improves things a little. The Guardian finds "a good bit of pulpy fun" in the double-crossing, spy gadgetry and explosions, and credits Vincent with recapturing some of the energy he showed on Bodyguard. It still calls the film forgettable and says it should end 30 minutes earlier. Screen RantN “Despite being billed as a heist comedy, Masterplan is impressively unfunny.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ The GuardianLC “There’s a good bit of pulpy fun to have here”“the film should really end 30 minutes before it does” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2The Guardian says Amazon appears to be burying the film this weekend in favour of its romantic drama Love of Your Life. Screen Rant says it is a glossy but hollow project that cost a fair amount of money. The GuardianLC “a straight-to-streaming Amazon Prime offering that the studio is burying this weekend” Read at The Guardian ↗ Screen RantN “a glossy but hollow project that definitely cost a fair amount of money” Read at Screen Rant ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- The Guardian review calls it a pulpy, forgettable caper in which Tucci is wasted, and offers faint praise.
- Emphasis
- Tucci's wasted potential, the gadgetry and espionage, the director's earlier work, Amazon's apparent decision to bury the film, and the film's gaze.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the Louvre being shown inaccurately or the weak villain.
- Charged language
- “smooth-brained”“pulpy and forgettable”
- For example
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“Stanley Tucci is wasted in Amazon’s smooth-brained heist caper” — The Guardian
“The best you can offer Masterplan is faint praise” — The Guardian
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Screen Rant gives a harsh verdict: a stylish but hollow Ocean's Eleven imitation that isn't funny.
- Emphasis
- The script's jokes, copied editing and style, the lack of planning in the heist, and the Louvre being shown inaccurately.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Offers little credit for the action or the espionage elements, and does not mention how Amazon is promoting the film.
- Charged language
- “impressively unfunny”“poor copycat”“it's just a mess”
- For example
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“An Unfunny Ocean's Eleven Riff That's All Style & No Substance” — Screen Rant
“I don't know what more to say, really, it's just a mess.” — Screen Rant
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Masterplan is streaming on Prime Video from 16 October 2026.
- Stanley Tucci plays Roger, who plans to steal the Mona Lisa using his two estranged children, played by Victor Belmondo and Simona Tabasco.
- Thomas Vincent directed the film and both reviewers compare it to the Ocean's franchise.
- Both reviews call the film forgettable and say it runs too long.
Where accounts differ
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Whether the film has real entertainment value
- Left
- The Guardian finds pulpy fun, decent espionage sequences, a clever helium balloon trick and enough bangs and explosions to keep it from dragging.
- Centre
- Screen Rant finds it impressively unfunny, with an awful script, sloppy details and an ending that descends into nonsense.
North America1 outlet
Screen Rant is more severe and focuses on the script and the Ocean's Eleven comparison.
“the script is terrible” — Screen Rant
Screen Rant
UK and Ireland1 outlet
The Guardian is milder, adds context on the cast's pedigree and Amazon's release strategy, and finds some enjoyment.
“it could breeze by as company to your Sunday night takeout” — The Guardian
The Guardian
Left1 article
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The GuardianLC · · Opinion
Masterplan review – Stanley Tucci is wasted in Amazon’s smooth-brained heist caper
Mixed A lukewarm review: some pulpy fun and good espionage, but thin characters and forgettable overall.
Centre1 article
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Screen RantN · · Opinion
Masterplan Movie Review: An Unfunny Ocean's Eleven Riff That's All Style & No Substance
Critical A scathing review that calls the film an unfunny, sloppy imitation of Ocean's Eleven.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 16 Oct 13:41 First Screen RantN Masterplan Movie Review: An Unfunny Ocean's Eleven Riff That's All Style & No Substance Opinion
- 16 Oct 20:24 +6h 43m The GuardianLC Masterplan review – Stanley Tucci is wasted in Amazon’s smooth-brained heist caper Opinion
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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