Psych: The Movie mini-review

My grade: A

I was nervous going into Psych: The Movie because I hoped the movie would make up for the subpar final season of Psych. I talked in a previous review (click here) about things that would make the movie good. Short answer: it was great!. Nearly everything I wanted in the movie was present here. Loose ends left by the show were finally tied up! Although Carlton Lassiter only made a brief appearance due to his actor’s recent stroke, that was pretty much the only thing I felt the movie was lacking.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

This Christmas special did so many things right: most of the jokes were winners, Shawn and Juliet finally tied the knot, and Gus finally got the girl. It was a great story for everyone involved. The guest stars didn’t detract from the main event, which was another plus. The villainous Billy, played by the excellent Zachary Levi, was fun, although I couldn’t figure out why Levi, an American actor, was using a phony British accent the whole time. It seemed like an arbitrary choice by the writers. Nonetheless, I enjoyed his banter with Shawn. I was dismayed he when he was killed off in favor of Alison Cowley as the villain. While I wasn’t a huge fan of Alison in the season five finale (my least favorite episode of the show), I felt that the writers redeemed her here and made her craziness more tolerable. It was a nice twist to see her return because I suspected we hadn’t seen the last of her in season five. This time around, Mena Suvari, her actress, seemed like she was having fun in the role and her fight scene with Jules was exciting.

I only had a couple nitpicks. I found it hard to believe Juliet would hang on long enough for Shawn to propose a second time instead of dumping him. I thought the two would at least be engaged three years later, but I’m just happy these two are finally married. Gus’ new girlfriend could have used a little more character development, but I don't have much to complain about. What else can I say? I love these characters, so any excuse to spend more time with them is a treat. It was a fun Christmas special and I hope it’s not the last feature starring Shawn and Gus. Good on the writers for restoring Psych to its former glory. If you’re a fan of Psych, you’ll probably enjoy this.

Merry Christmas!