Must See Movie...

Good start, but then it gets ruined

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Hilarious exploitation film! As someone who's been a hippie and around hippies all his life, I can tell you that this movie is more dead on than many would like to admit. Anyone who says otherwise really hasn't been around hardcore hippies, or just isn't being honest with themselves! LOL This movie gets a star just for the great line that I used as my title.I love how members of Mumblin' Jim stop playing, but the music track keeps going. I love how Jack Nickleson's creepy performance may not seem so peace and love, but is representative of a lot of the hustlers who have always populated the hippie scene. I love the beginning of the film where people form a parade following some chick carrying a flag representing a chair. I love the funeral scene with the Seeds, the cheesy hipster slang, and the ridiculous "in the scene/out of the scene" game. Of course this movie is a typical AIP mash up, but who cares? Kick back, gobble whatever sugarcubes you have, and have fun.

I was not sure whether I would like this. I was possibly expecting another 'Zabriskie Point' - loud, long, pretentious - but instead came away pleasantly surprised.It was one of several '60's films to depict ordinary people losing faith with the materialistic world and joining the counter-culture, others include Peter Sellers in 'I Love You Alice B.Toklas', Bob Hope in 'How To Commit Marriage', and a fair portion of 'The President's Analyst' with James Coburn. But those were comedies, whereas 'Psych-Out' is ( depending on your point of view, anyway ) not.The late Susan Strasberg plays 'Jenny Davis', a repressed young deaf woman who runs away from home to join up with her brother Steve ( Bruce Dern ), who lives somewhere in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, calls himself 'The Seeker' and annoys locals by making anti-Vietnam war speeches. Jenny throws in her lot with a struggling rock band, led by the aptly-named 'Stoney' ( Jack Nicholson ). They indoctrinate her into their way of life. "Money?", says Stoney, "You don't need too much of it around here!". Jenny is soon wearing colourful clothes and sharing Stoney's bed. Their relationship is platonic at first, but she eventually gives in.In an amusing scene in a scrapyard, Jenny finds her brother's car, but then she and the others are ambushed by local men, who try to rape her. One of the hippies has taken L.S.D. and seeing the thugs as medieval dragons, beats the life out of them.I do not know how accurate a portrayal of 1968 this was. The only hippies I encountered that year were those student teachers from the local tech who came to school once a month to teach art. My friends and I liked them because they looked nice, were more cheerful than the regular teachers, and if our work was not up to standard, did not yell at us.'Psych-Out''s hippies are altogether in a different league, of course. But I liked the fact that they were not patronised. Indeed the non-hippies are the 'villains'. Drugs are on show, with at least two major characters experiencing bad trips; a man in an art gallery sees his friends as hideous monsters, and almost cuts off one of his hands with a power saw. The other is Jenny, given drugs without her knowledge by Dave ( Dean Stockwell ). Alone in the street at night when the hallucinations start, she sees the whole world erupting into flame.The film is well made, with good performances, particularly by Nicholson. Even here you could tell he was a star waiting to happen. Bruce Dern's 'Steve' is really creepy, his bad home life has driven him to drugs. You expect him to do something insane and sure enough, he does, committing suicide in front of his sister.The main flaw is the climax. Just how did Jenny get into the centre of a busy freeway whilst high on drugs? The film ends so quickly you wonder if the final scene was lost.Music by 'The Seeds' and 'The Strawberry Alarm Clock'. The latter's 'Incense & Peppermints' was re-used in the first 'Austin Powers' movie.An interesting film, overall. Certainly not a commercial for recreational drugs use, the opposite in fact!

Psych-Out, yeah, that's a pretty accurate title for an art movie of this kind.I saw this movie with a couple of friends, and we all had a ball. If I would see this movie again, it would be under the influence of something a bit more "psych", although some scenes in the movie could freak you out..If you like new "stoner movies" like Half Baked and such, I recommend you to watch this movie. Because I feel that this movie has probably been an inspiration to those movies. What I'm talking about is the dialog. The camera-job on the other hand, is a work of art i've never seen before. They have managed to make it look like a documentary, which was good for me that's born in the 80s and never got to experience the crazy 60s in San Fransisco. But for heavenly waters, Do Not Watch This Movie like it have a good storyline, No!! Just watch it completely wasted and enjoy the ride!

Most everything people have already said about this movie is how I think about it, too. However, I would like to say for the Seeds fans out there that might try to see the film so they can see the Seeds footage that it's way too brief. I love the Seeds and I wanted desperately to see some closeups of the guys in action. Maybe see some good dancing by Sky or even get a good group shot. I was pretty disappointed to see Sky rocking out to some bad synchronizing on part of the audio engineers. It makes him look like he has no sense of rhythm! And you only get to see him for half seconds at a time. And Daryl Hooper (organist) isn't even shown when the band plays! It spends more time showing Jan Savage's fingers playing guitar than it spends on the any other Seeds shot. Quite a disappointment, especially since there is hardly any footage of this amazing band anywhere. Aside from that, the Strawberry Alarm Clock get great coverage, which is nice. The plot of the movie is really entertaining as well. But I wonder, why didn't Jenny talk like a deaf person? I guess it's because you're led to believe she really isn't deaf. Either way, it's a good movie with some good tripping scenes and cool clothes and lines: "Why are you dancing alone?" "I'm not, I'm dancing with everybody!" yikes! that's heavy! haha