Psych-Out (1968)

Richard Rush's "Psych-Out" is a true snapshot of a movie. Set in San Francisco at the height of the hippie movement, it contains everything that one could anticipate in a hippie-themed movie. Having been born long after the '60s, I only know about the era from stories told by my elders, but this movie makes the whole Haight-Ashbury scene look like, well, a gas.Susan Strasberg gets top billing, but the most obvious cast member is of course Jack Nicholson*. For much of the preceding few years he'd appeared in some Roger Corman movies, but it's safe to say that this movie set the stage for his appearance in "Easy Rider" the following year. And I would be remiss in not mentioning the music. Strawberry Alarm Clock appears, and their "Incense and Peppermint" gets featured prominently. This flick is one psychedelic experience.Even though the flower power movement only lasted a brief period, it was still an important one. As Hunter S. Thompson noted, "For a brief moment, (the hippies) had control." It was ironic that 1967's Summer of Love gave way to a series of bad things in 1968 (the Vietnam War's escalation, the assassinations of MLK and RFK, the crushing of the student uprising in Paris, the crushing of the protests at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, the massacre of protesters in Mexico City right before the Olympics, and then Nixon's election). All that we can do is continue trying to make the ideals of the '60s a reality.The rest of the cast includes Dean Stockwell, Max Julien, future director Henry Jaglom, and "Happy Days" creator Garry Marshall (also director of "Pretty Woman" and "The Princess Diaries").*Robin Williams once said of Jack Nicholson "He's done every drug known to man. He's the only person who could make Keith Richards say 'I gotta go home.'"

I love this movie! Jack Nicholson is so funny and so campy. The premise of the movie really isn't a comedy, and it ends on a depressing note (not too, though). The funniest part of this movie is when Jack and his "band" are performing and play a song that sounds like a bad Purple Haze knockoff. It's so funny to see him then and see him now. This is a great late-Saturday-night with popcorn and beer movie. Not as serious as Easy Rider. Jack is almost giddy throughout this movie. I thought the female lead in this looked a lot like the female lead in "The Savage Seven", but she's a different actress. Dean Stockwell as the stoned philosopher hippie is a riot, too.

Dick Clark produced this film and I think the problem is it's not edgy enough as far as the drug taking and being hippies. Jack Nicholson seems to just act like a hippie while he really just wants to get laid and play in his band. The real locations of Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco are terrific as you really get to see what that part of the city looked like. In some scenes the onlookers across the street are looking at the camera and waving. Dean Stockwell lives in a box on a roof and spouts all sort of hippie lingo and tries to get laid. Henry Jaglom and Garry Marshall show up in small roles. Bruce Dern as The Seeker is rather confusing. I guess he's just a drug addict and the end of the film has me thinking that Dick Clark wanted to make an anti-drug film after all. Susan Strasberg was always excellent and even in a silly film like this she stands out. Nicholson's hands don't move when he's playing the guitar! Groovy!

This movie rocks for 2 reasons: The Seeds and Strawberry Alarm Clock This is pretty much the only time we ever get to see these two 60's bands in action. The plot is good too although the end is pretty far out. I definitly recommend this to anyone who likes to stimulate their mind and watch a good movie. Jack Nicolson is even in it, I mean how cool is that? And this takes place in Haight Ashbury back in the day! Most privately owned video stores still rent this. I have gotten really inspired by this movie because I'm in a psychedelic band.