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Lifetime Review: 'Psycho Yoga Instructor'

A compelling cast and strong climax counteract the weak spots in this yoga-based obsession drama.

By Trevor WellsPublished 4 years ago 6 min read
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Justine Grace (Ashley Wood) is a woman in desperate need of escape. In addition to her efforts to adopt a child proving stressful, Justine's marriage to her husband Tom (Brady Smith) is beginning to buckle under the strain of Tom's workaholic tendencies and his apparent disinterest in starting a family with Justine. At the urging of her best friend Ginnie (Lily Rains), Justine agrees to give her yoga class a try to see if it will help her relieve the stress of her fractured marriage.

It's then that Justine meets the class's charming instructor Domenic (Panos Vlahos), whose encouraging and compassionate demeanor is just what Justine needs as her relationship with Tom becomes further estranged. But soon after Justine briefly gives in to Domenic's allure, she begins to realize that her instructor may not be as perfect as he seems. Can Justine escape the crosshairs of her obsessed teacher before it's too late?

In a few ways, Psycho Yoga Instructor reminded me of the previously released, similarly-titled Lifetime film Psycho Escort. And anyone who recalls my review of that particular movie knows that's not exactly a glowing compliment. The film shares many flaws in common with Psycho Escort, from uneven pacing to poorly written characters. But thankfully, while these flaws still take some bite out of Psycho Yoga Instructor's effectiveness as an entertaining obsession thriller, it at least proves to be a more enjoyable watch than its predecessor.

A noteworthy aspect of Psycho Yoga Instructor is that, despite its title, it takes until almost the last half hour of the film for Domenic to show any signs of being a psycho. Until then, the film focuses on Justine's budding friendship/relationship with Domenic and the troubled state of her marriage to Tom. While this isn't necessarily a bad plot to focus on, the film's title is sure to lead many to believe they're sitting down to a drama-packed Lifetime feature, and are sure to be disappointed to see how the film is more akin to a slow-moving character drama a-la A Working Mom's Nightmare.

But while this slow build to an inevitable revelation is sure to be tedious to some, it's salvaged by Psycho Yoga Instructor's cast--primarily Ashley Wood and Panos Vlahos. In Wood's hands, Justine Grace is an easy-to-like protagonist, with Wood bringing palpable feeling to the scenes where Justine's quiet dissatisfacation with her dull life and crumbling marriage take center stage. Vlahos, on the other hand, is effectively charming and encouraging when we first meet handsome yoga instructor Domenic, making it understandable why Justine would be so drawn to him as she deals with an emotionally reserved and neglectful husband. Wood and Vlahos' chemistry is what makes Psycho Yoga Instructor's slow build-up bearable, as they make the relationship development between Justine and Domenic so authentic and sweet to watch that you might find yourself rooting for Justine to leave Tom for Domenic.

Another part of why Justine and Domenic make for such an appealing couple comes in the form of Tom Grace, and how poorly the writers behind Psycho Yoga Instructor try to make him a flawed but well-intentioned husband. From his introduction, Tom gives off an air of disinterested apathy towards practically everything to do with his wife--whether it be her newfound interest in yoga or her desire to start a family with Tom. Even more damning for Tom is his attitude towards Justine's friendship with Domenic, which is your standard "Jealous Possessive Husband" routine that only further makes Tom an unlikeable character.

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW

However, the worst part about Tom's characterization is how haphazardly the writers try to redeem him and make the audience believe that, underneath all his faults, he truly does love Justine. After spending the whole movie acting indifferent and callous towards Justine and her desire to repair their marriage, the movie suddenly has Tom revealing a vested interest in adopting a child after several scenes of him giving zero indication of such an interest--and his incomprehensible justification for hiding this interest and his efforts of helping improve his and his wife's chances of being approved for becoming adoptive parents behind a wall of apathy only succeeds in adding "stupid" to his list of unlikable traits. The fact that this leads to Justine apologizing to Tom for--not unjustifiably--suspecting him of infidelity (while Tom barely apologizes for his misdeeds) and even deciding to forego her plans to make yoga a part-time career to focus on her marriage adds salt to the wound.

Spoilers Over

As for Brady Smith's performance, he's able to deliver one memorably emotional scene as Tom towards the end, but it's far from enough to salvage Tom's character or make you believe he would be any better for Justine than Domenic. In addition to Tom's thoroughly botched character arc described in the Spoiler section, Smith plays Tom as way too aloof throughout much of the film, which works in tandem with the botched writing to make it unbelievable when Tom abruptly begins his redemption arc. Having last seen Smith as a similarly Unintentionally Unsympathetic character in Lifetime's 2016 film The Perfect Daughter, here's hoping the next time I see Brady Smith, it's as someone who doesn't make me want to punch him in the face.

The third act proves to be a saving grace for Psycho Yoga Instructor, even though it comes with its share of pitfalls. Once the movie finally allows for its titular yoga instructor to go psycho, Vlahos gives a perfectly hammy performance as Domenic's interest in Justine becomes an obsession--seemingly working to make up for having gone almost the whole movie without letting Domenic's freak flag fly. There are moments when Vlahos' delivery isn't where it should be, and characterization-wise, Domenic feels underdeveloped when it comes to SPOILER ALERT his backstory. From what the movie gives us, Domenic appears to randomly alternate between killing his partners once he's done with them and simply leaving them behind for the next one. This, in combination with his domestic abuse history, makes Domenic's development as a villain feel disjointed and confusing. Spoilers Over

On the flip side, we have the final climax, which (despite the aforementioned characterization stumbles) is an intense finale that is made spectacularly over-the-top courtesy of Vlahos' performance as well as the climax's direction. The use of dramatic music and slow-mo gives the climax an enjoyably histrionic feel, and it's all almost enough to make up for the film previously being rather devoid of such thrills. The third act also allows for Ginnie--who had a lukewarm introduction to the film as a somewhat bland and overly cheesy "Heroine's BFF" archetype--to emerge as a surprise Genre Savvy protective figure for Justine, with Lily Rains sliding into the much-needed transition with ease.

While Psycho Yoga Instructor manages to avoid being as dull as Psycho Escort, it has about the same amount of problems as the film that detract from its entertainment factor. From the uneven pacing to the characterization flubs, there's enough to make Psycho Yoga Instructor a challenge to stay invested in. But with the strong chemistry between Ashley Wood and Panos Vlahos bringing substance to the slogging first acts and the final act cranking up the Lifetimey mayhem to make up for lost time, there's still some entertainment to be found underneath all the movie's flaws. It might not be a flick you'll come back to, but if you need a movie to kill time to, Psycho Yoga Instructor may be worth giving a chance.

Score: 5 out of 10 sprigs.

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About the Creator

Trevor Wells

Aspiring writer and film lover: Lifetime, Hallmark, indie, and anything else that strikes my interest. He/him.

Link to Facebook

Twitter: @TrevorWells98

Instagram: @trevorwells_16

Email: [email protected]

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