_Analyze_This_ (R) *** (out of ****)
In its first two acts, Harold Ramis's comedy uproariously mines co-scripters Kenneth Lonergan, Peter Tolan's premise for all its comedic worth. Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal make a terrific team as, respectively, a tough mob boss and the shrink who reluctantly treats him for recurring panic attacks. Crystal's effectiveness comes as no surprise (OK, maybe so in light of recent pathetic efforts such as _Forget_Paris_ and _My_Giant_), but the true comedic firecracker of the two is DeNiro, who is explosively funny taking a self-deprecating spin on his usual mafia screen persona.
So when DeNiro's character disappears for a good chunk of the home stretch, so does the explosive energy of his performance and presence. Strangely enough, Crystal cannot pick up the comedic slack; the film's climax is his showcase, and his schtick comes off as just that, schtick, in comparison to DeNiro's relaxed comic ease. One performer who could have possibly risen to the challenge is co-star Lisa Kudrow, but she is woefully underused in the equally as undeveloped role of Crystal's fiancee. But even if it does not end quite as well as it begins, _Analyze_This_ offers more laughs than any other comedy so far released in 1999.
Michael Dequina
mrbrown@iname.com | michael_jordan@geocities.com
Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown
CompuServe Hollywood Hotline: http://www.HollywoodHotline.com
___________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews