Jack Nicholson Movie:

Psych-Out [Region 2] Reviews:
Funny how time changes perspectives ( & alters history)...
2002-01-13 - I saw this when it first came out. At a midnight showing in Oakland California. I thought it an abomination at the time. Hollywood got it, typically, ALL WRONG, wrong look, wrong dialog, wrong clothes, wrong attitudes. Contrary to a previous review, this movie was not filmed "on location" (unless you consider Culver City an annex of San Francisco). Of all the actors, only Bruce Dern had an authentic aura about him, but the guy was born a bohemian/hippie. I had never seen Jack Nicholson before but I left the theater thinking I'd never see him again, so lousy was his acting. (How wrong could I be!) He was the antithesis of people in & around the Haight. All that said, let me confess that I think Nicholson is one of the outstanding actors of film history (though not in this movie). I also find that time has mitigated my sense of indignation with the accuracy of the Psych-Out. While still not a realistic representation of Haight in the 1960s (except maybe at the end of its dynasty), it is a pretty accurate view of Hollywood's take on & imitation of its Northern neighbors. Psych-Out is what Sunset Strip & its environs became in the 1970s.

Psych Out will psych you up!
2001-10-26 - Perhaps no 1960's hippie "exploitation" flick has more realism than 1968's AIC feature: "Psych-Out". With it's filming on location during the height of 1967's Haight Ashbury scene, this fictional account of Susan Strasberg as Jenny, a 17 year old runaway who arrives in the Haight looking for her dropped out acid-head guru brother excels as an unintentional documentary of the time. Along Jenny's way she runs into the trio of Jack Nicholson as Stoney, and 2 sidekick charactors played by Adam Roarke and Max Julien. With very explicit scenes of drug use and drug-induced, trippy "hippie revelations", as well as a scene of a bad LSD trip in progress, the film does not take either side of the establishment/anti-establishment debate of the time. The film is both an exceptional period piece of life as it really was in the Haight's heyday, as well as an excellent study of the dissillusionment of the dropped out youth of the Vietnam era. With the one exception of Jack Nicholson being poorly cast as Stoney, the remaining performances by the others in the cast are all excellent. A must see film for any 1960's countercultural buff. It would make a great DVD release.

God is Alive & Well & Living In a Sugar Cube...
2001-10-10 - Director Richard Rush (The Stuntman) throws deaf 17 year old runaway Susan Strasberg into the Height Ashbury scene in search of her long lost brother played by Bruce Dern. She meets up with muscians Jack Nicholson, Adam Rourke and Max Julian who look after her and help scour San Fransisco in search of her acid-addled brother. During their search they promote their band, calm down a flipped-out friend with a circular saw, play some tunes with the Strawberry Alarm Clock, fight a bunch of hard-hat types and indulge in some downright hillarious dialogue.

While wallowing in a pile of cliches, this film (unlike many of its era) is more realistic than some and the performances are uniformly excellent. Dean Stockwell playing a groovy guru, Jack Nicholson looking hillarious with a ponytail as he belts out a version of 'Purple Haze', Max Julian conveying an all too realistic chemical state of mind and Bruce Dern as the brother who calls himself 'The Seeker' and lives in a garbage dump. The film also benfits from the cinematography by Lazlo Kovaks and would make a great double feature with Roger Corman's "The Trip".
*** 1/2

A bit flawed?
2001-06-09 - Okay, now I'm a fan of Susan Strasberg, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern and Dean Stockwell. I also grew up in the 60s. This movie is a kick because it's a throwback to every indulgence we let ourselves have. As a work of art, this is mediocre at best. As a slice of Americana that has nothing to do with Grant Wood, this is the height of kitsch. You'll either love or hate it. If you're not sure which camp you're in, then I'm betting that you'll hate it. It is good for a laugh or two - especially the hair and clothes. Oh my lord, did I really dress like that? Unfortunately, I did.