Set in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, “Basic Psych” (2025) starts with a murder and ends with a twist as a psychiatrist, Dr. Stuart Prince (Michael Cerveris), treats a patient (David Conrad) who calls himself Dan Riviello, claims to be responsible for the Oakland Park Murders and seems to have numerous aliases. As paranoia affects both men, Stuart begins to unravel under the pressure while Dan seems to trade places and become more stable. Will the murderer be stopped before he can kill more innocent people? If you are expecting a battle of wits or a straightforward game of cat and mouse, think again. It may feel like a television quality film with its melodramatic style, but it will keep you guessing though in retrospect, the clues are hiding in plain sight. You got me!
Stuart is an ideal husband to glass blowing artist, Sisi (Siena Goines), and father to Reagan (Jayla Bashur). Stuart’s mental health is gauged at his willingness to cook breakfast for the family or be present to help his wife with her work that feels reminiscent of that scene from “Ghost” (1990). In contrast, Dan seems like a mess arguing with his ex, Wendy Brudinsky (Lissa Brennan), and scaring his daughter, Carly (Lucy Hine), with his anger issues and violent impulses while trying to protect her or himself. As “Basic Psych” unfolds, the lesson seems to be that not much separates the men and anyone can crack when their family is threatened. It is not. Cue ambitious journalist Traci Richter (Amy B. Marsalis) who seems to be suspicious of Dan and alerts Stuart to the killer’s modus operandi. Dan does seem to be traveling in psychiatrists’ circles such as attending a lecture with Dr. Grant Harrison (Cotter Smith) or auditing a class; thus, meeting student Hillary Baseman (Grace Rao), whom Dan gives a different name when he asks her out. Unaware of the red flag, they hit it off, and Hillary is connected to the murders in multiple ways.
Cerveris and Conrad play more complex roles than their characters initially seem so while a first viewing may not come with any acclaim, it is hard work. Most of the acting feels as if it comes straight from a soap opera or in some cases as if the actors should voluntarily quit their artistic ambitions and switch gears to work more suited to their talents. Goines becomes more interesting as the story unfolds.
Initially “Basic Psych” seems like a film about a professional pushed to extremes and forced to choose between his professional ethics and his family. It does raise the issue of psychiatrist’s sacrificing their own mental well-being in exchange for their patient’s. It feels as if it is one of those films in which a man must shed the confines of civilization and embrace his baser, primal instincts to defend his family, but in doing so, he risks losing the qualities that make him a solid family man and thus losing his family. Dr. Prince as a law-abiding hero versus vigilante goes south when he decides to hire Alvin Eggers (Patrick Jordan) to solve the problem of a taunting serial killer.
It is not that kind of movie, but it is the kind of movie that you will want to see again soon after finishing it to see if it still works once you realize that it is a psychological mystery that is less straightforward than it appeared to be. It pretty much holds up though viewers can hardly be blamed for taking most of the story at face value in the way that it is presented. A second viewing also reveals some plot points are referenced earlier before they come to fruition so while it would not have been an obvious dangling thread, it got tied anyway. Only one question was left unanswered: what happened to the first victim’s dog?
Composer Robert Trough’s score is obtrusive and insistent as it keeps telling the audience what to feel but is actually complicit in lulling the audience into thinking that they understand the story’s objectives. In his feature film debut, writer James Tucker hides the characters’ secrets in plain sight and leverages assumptions against us. In retrospect, it is obvious, but hindsight is twenty-twenty though most will notice the obvious red flags without making the correct calculations. There are some great ridiculous lines such as “I don’t want a hug. I want a gun.” It is unclear why he is obsessed with characters getting injured in their thigh. If the story was even more over the top than earnest, it may have been more fun.
Director Melissa Martin does her job, but “Basic Psych” suffers from the same problem as “Game of Thrones.” Because it was only available to watch as a screener on a desktop as the largest screen, many of the night scenes were indiscernible. Martin has more experience in television whereas this film is only her second in twenty-four years. Considering this film likely went straight to streaming, let’s sign a waiver. Welcome back to the movie biz.
If there are any complaints, “Basic Psych” lets its characters get over their injuries too quickly: a burn, jumping out a second story window, shot. Also costume designer Brittany Graham has taken one for the team and proven that no one should put Conrad in a black tank top. When the mystery is spelled out, it gets laid out so quickly that it is possible to get confused and need to rewind. There are a lot of random lewd comments directed towards or about underage girls to signal that a character is a bad guy, which seems excessive. The dogs’ names are never revealed.
“Basic Psych” feels like a Lifetime movie for fathers and husbands expecting divorce papers except for mystery fans. While there is better quality content out there, everyone who contributed to the film deserves praise for surprising its audience. Maybe I’m slipping and occasionally I talked myself out of the solution, but I could figure out “Interstellar” in the first five minutes, and this one had me guessing until the end.
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“Basic Psych” is like the riddle where a boy and his father are in a car accident. The father dies, and when the son arrives at the hospital, the doctor says, “I can’t operate on him. He is my son.” Dr. Prince almost cheated on his wife with his receptionist, Hillary. He is a murderer. He prescribes himself pills. He breaks into houses. He may have an untreated drinking problem. He kills to protect his secret and keep his family. The biggest sign was how calm he was when asked to meet his alleged killer patient at the park. Killer doc is the real him, and Dr. Prince’s good guy schtick is just a very convincing act.
The biggest plot hole was how chill an undercover cop was leaving his house as a television news camera crew is parked outside reporting about a murder. At least, he should be concerned about his identity and residence getting exposed on local television thus ruining his career and endangering his daughter.
