There’s a certain point when watching “Basic Psych” (directed by Melissa Martin, written by James Tucker), where you think, “What is this nonsensical garbage? No normal human being would act this way.” And then…the twist! The insane reveal! It retroactively made everything that came before it make so much more sense and ironically made me like the movie more than I did in the beginning. That’s pretty damn stellar.
Slow Collapse of a Happy Facade
From the beginning, it’s a standard thriller where a murderer apparently has beef with psychiatrists who call him paranoid, but twists and turns into something else by the end. Michael Cerveris (“Fringe,” “The Gilded Age”) plays Dr. Stuart Prince who seemingly has the perfect life, an adoring daughter, and a hot wife who fawns over him. His newest patient, Dan, (David Conrad) seems poised to threaten all of the goodness in his life.
Dan is so very clearly lying about everything and the narrative continues to build around this idea that a psychotic serial killer confesses his crimes to a psychiatrist, but the psychiatrist can’t call the police because they’re past crimes. This is a flimsy, ridiculous concept especially when it becomes evident that Dan is going to go after the Prince family.
As silly as the story starts to get before the final act, the acting is actually compelling at times. Conrad chews scenery as a suspicious, creepy stalker-killer and Cerveris finds a balance between concerned doctor and intuitive detective. The typical cat-and-mouse game comes into play here, but it truly spirals into one nonsensical decision after another. Everyone starts to lose their head and common sense and as an audience member watching, you’ll start yelling at the screen trying to get these characters to act like normal human beings.
Family and Love Complicate Things
Sisi Prince, played by Siena Goines, has the patience of a saint throughout the first half of the film, but when she feels threatened she completely changes into an almost unrecognizable character. One the hand, its pretty awesome seeing her burn a man with her glass-making torch, but on the other hand, shooting at random cars on the street is unhinged. And the cops? Useless. Apparently the police are just there as decoration, which could be a larger commentary on how the police never actually help people; they mostly protect property, but the film doesn’t go there.
One of the most emotional parts about the film is both men’s relationships with their respective daughters, Reagan Prince (Jayla Bashur) and Carly (Lucy Hine), Dan’s daughter (not his real name). The one thing these dudes have in common is how much they care for their girls, how much they’re willing to sacrifice and how far they’ll go to protect them. This becomes important later after the reveal that I’m about to get to.
Spoilers Ahead
The over-the-top and very obvious moments throughout the film make you sure of what you’re watching. It all seems pretty standard and, honestly, not every good. The decisions made by Dr. Prince kept escalating with truly bizarre behavior. At one point, I wondered, when the doctor made his next questionable decision (was hiring a hitman really necessary?), who the actual bad guy in this movie was. Well…
It turns out in a grand reveal that Dan, actually named Jake, is an undercover cop who is after the Oakland Park killer, the same killer we all thought Dan was. No, the killer is DR. PRINCE. Once this twist happens (as Stuart is holding Carly hostage with a gun), so much of the film becomes clearer, all those dumb ass decisions make sense, and Sisi repeatedly asking her husband, “who are you?” as he panics in paranoia finally clicks in the audience’s head. Dr. Prince wasn’t ever going to call the police on his patient, because HE was the bad guy the entire time.
Now, is this the most revolutionary twist ever? No, but did it make what I thought was a poor movie actually a pretty decent one? Absolutely. I had to go back and rewatch the first two acts with the twist in mind and everything made so much more sense. I really was going to chalk this all up to bad writing and bad direction. So that’s my bad, shout-out to the creative team. They got me.
Final Thoughts
“Basic Psych” is a great popcorn flick to watch with friends or your boo. It might even be better watching it alone and then watching it with a group of unsuspecting people because their reaction could be even more entertaining than the movie itself. The reveal flips the whole plot on its head and makes you re-look at things you already thought you knew. The acting is decent to great, but the growing suspense and the twist make it a must-watch.
Starting April 21, audiences will be able to rent or own “Basic Psych” on Digital HD, including Apple TV, Prime Video, and Fandango at Home.
I am a published writer, full-time editor, an events and entertainment reporter and mother of one. Comic books, drag queens, women’s basketball, queer films and TV shows are my bread and butter.