MOVIE REVIEW: “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” stars James Roday Rodriguez (Gamer, A Million Little Things [TV series]), Dulé Hill (The West Wing [TV series], Suits [TV series]), Timothy Omundson (Mission: Impossible III, Starship Troopers), Maggie Lawson (Pleasantville, Cleaner), Kirsten Nelson (War of the Worlds [2005], The Fugitive [1993]), Corbin Bernsen (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Major League), Sarah Chalke (Scrubs [TV series], Rick and Morty [TV series]), Richard Schiff (Man of Steel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park), Kurt Fuller (Midnight in Paris, Ghostbusters II), Jazmyn Simon (Ballers [TV series], Locked Down), Allison Miller (A Million Little Things [TV series], 17 Again), Kadeem Hardison (A Different World [TV series], White Men Can’t Jump), Sage Brocklebank (The Predator, Alien Trespass), Christopher Heyerdahl (Hell on Wheels [TV series], Stockholm), Nils Hognestad (Overboard [2018], DC’s Legends of Tomorrow [TV series]), Jimmi Simpson (Date Night, Westworld [TV series]), and Joel McHale (Community [TV series], Blended). It is directed by Steve Franks (Psych [TV series], Big Daddy), who also wrote the screenplay with Andy Berman (Rosewood [TV series], Carter [TV series]) and James Roday Rodgriguez.

Shawn (Rodriguez) and Gus (Hill) investigate a haunted case for their friend Carlton Lassiter (Omundson), who is recovering from gunshot wounds.

Come on, son. A TV movie? Wait, no. A Peacock TV movie? I’ve heard it both ways.

Yes folks, I’m reviewing a “Psych” film. The sequel, to be exact. I thought I analyzed the first, but was proven wrong when I couldn’t find it in my archives. Oh well. Long story short, it was entertaining, and that’s about it. Now, we’ve got the second outing, titled appropriately after one of their very own, Carlton Lassiter, whose actor Timothy Omundson could only make a cameo in the first flick due to a tragic stroke he suffered a few years back. He’s returned in this one, mostly to full form, and it was nice for him to get the homecoming that he did.

To give a brief history, “Pysch” is a series I watched through a majority of high school and into my college years. It brought me great joy to see Shawn Spencer, a fake psychic, solve crimes with his pal Burton Guster around Santa Barbara, even if I didn’t find it as hilarious as most other fans did. It’s the kind of funny that makes me happy more than anything (just because I don’t audibly laugh doesn’t mean it’s good). Since their series finale way back in 2014, they’ve managed to release three movies, giving the Psych-O’s something to return to and feel warm and fuzzy inside about.

“Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” is an interesting foray. It basically throws us into the heat of the action, and never takes any breaks. Lassiter has been shot and is recovering at a rehab center, which supposedly is haunted. Shawn and Gus believe there’s more to the story, so they investigate. What unfolds ranges from fun to serviceable. They manage to fill in the feature-length time with enough material, but I will say that the ongoing case can get a bit muddled. I don’t know about everyone else, but quite a few plot devices in this were convoluted. The writers spanned this caper across multiple individuals, making things a bit hectic and outweighed by the implemented jokes. It took until the bridge into the third act for things to make more sense.

Obviously, the people who are watching this are the fans of the show. Seeing these characters back in action is enough to warrant some points in and of itself. No one misses a beat, with the only noticeable change being Lassiter, who is more soft of a person this go-around. I can only deduce that this is because of Omudson’s stroke, which offers a side to Lassiter we’ve never seen. It was touching to watch his storyline in this, especially with how it ended. Everyone else gets their heartwarming moments too, though Lassiter is clearly the star of the hour.

I’m not going to sugar coat it: “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” is okay. It made me laugh a few times (surprisingly) and I loved seeing these characters back again. But the case itself wasn’t all too thrilling, especially when it came to the true villain. In retrospect, it’s cool, but the execution of it all left more to be desired. Also, random note, but there are a ton more sexual jokes in this outing… which was kind of uncomfortable (the tickling scene with Gus had to be the most repulsive thing). If you are a “Psych” fan, I know you’ll see it. I’d wonder your thoughts, and if you are willing to share, I’d love to read them in the comments. At the very least, we get to see our beloved characters follow new cases. FINAL SCORE: 72%= Burnt Popcorn

Here is the trailer: