OK, let me begin with a disclaimer: I love Psych. I've just always been a huge fan of mysteries and detective stories (although I still prefer Monk over this, because this show prioritizes shenanigans over procedure). I also love a great buddy comedy, and Psych nailed that perfectly with James Roday and Dule Hill as Shawn and Gus. It helps that they're friends in real life. Steve Franks' theme song, sung by his band The Friendly Indians, is perfect for the show, and the pineapple gag is wonderful.
All that said, you would think I would be totally ecstatic about a movie/holiday special...right? Well, Psych: The Movie has me torn for a number of reasons. First, it doesn't actually carry over Shawn's defining "psychic" shtick, and there's hardly a coherent mystery (more on that later). Sure, it's great to see Shawn and Gus back together again, but Lassiter is reduced to a cameo on an iPhone (Tim Omundson suffered a stroke). Additionally, most of the jokes just didn't land for me; most of them were preoccupied with "dongle" references...and those got old REAL fast.
As for the inside-the-beltway mystery, they have always been silly or nonsensical. Again, "Psych" is more about the silliness, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't put some effort into the case. Without spoiling anything, even die-hard fans may be left scratching their heads with this one.
All of this brings me to my final point. This is basically an extended "Psych" episode, but even "Psych: The Musical" was a better movie. This is definitely not for casual viewers looking for something to watch, because they will be lost. It certainly does some things right for "Psych-Os", but at the end of the day it doesn't really feel like "Psych", because it's lacking Shawn's goofy crime-solving shenanigans.
All that said, you would think I would be totally ecstatic about a movie/holiday special...right? Well, Psych: The Movie has me torn for a number of reasons. First, it doesn't actually carry over Shawn's defining "psychic" shtick, and there's hardly a coherent mystery (more on that later). Sure, it's great to see Shawn and Gus back together again, but Lassiter is reduced to a cameo on an iPhone (Tim Omundson suffered a stroke). Additionally, most of the jokes just didn't land for me; most of them were preoccupied with "dongle" references...and those got old REAL fast.
As for the inside-the-beltway mystery, they have always been silly or nonsensical. Again, "Psych" is more about the silliness, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't put some effort into the case. Without spoiling anything, even die-hard fans may be left scratching their heads with this one.
All of this brings me to my final point. This is basically an extended "Psych" episode, but even "Psych: The Musical" was a better movie. This is definitely not for casual viewers looking for something to watch, because they will be lost. It certainly does some things right for "Psych-Os", but at the end of the day it doesn't really feel like "Psych", because it's lacking Shawn's goofy crime-solving shenanigans.