This is a mob movie parody that actually delivers more laughs per minute than most straight comedies. "Analyze This" is a pleasurable movie experience, and a real hoot; a grandly hysterical comedy that pokes fun at all the expected mob cliches, and is guaranteed to offend everyone (including some mobsters).
Billy Crystal stars as a psychiatrist, Ben Sobel, who offers therapy to divorcees and couples. One day, he has an accidental fender bender with a mobster's car - Crystal offers his business card in case the guy changes his mind about filing a suit. "Forget about it. I said forget about it," snarls Jelly, the mobster (Joe Viterelli). Of course, Jelly does not forget when he notices that his boss, Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro), is suffering from headaches and is not performing up to par on the job. After all, he's Don Vitti, one of the major crime bosses in New York City.
Jelly suggests that Paul visit the psychiatrist. Once he's there, the Don intimidates Ben by telling him that he didn't see his face in the papers and doesn't know him. Ben agrees but his life turns upside down when he starts to counsel Paul. Analyze This steals ever narrative device you can imagine from classic mob films like "The Godfather," "GoodFellas," and "Casino." There's the voice-over delivered by De Niro, the typical mob kisses and hugs, shoot-outs in restaurants, several comical "whackings", and Tony Bennett songs playing all the while. All of this is done with style and grace.
Just as graceful and ingratiating as ever is De Niro, a proven potent comic force ("We're No Angels" and "The King of Comedy") who steals every scene he's in. He mugs mercilessly and whimpers incessantly - there's one touching scene where he sobs over his father's death. De Niro is as fit, trimmed, and handsome as he was in "Casino" - no wonder he originally wanted Martin Scorsese to direct.
Billy Crystal has been on the sentimental bandwagon ever since "City Slickers," but here he learns a vital lesson: less is more. With a bespectacled look and a curly beard, Crystal lightens up the screen with his pleasing charm and nuanced timing. He learned the great trick - to pause with a glance before delivering the punch line. Here he is pitch-perfect in one of his most memorable screen roles to date. Crystal's last scene as he mimics a swaggering, posturing Italian mafioso will leave you incredulous with laughter.
Unfortunately, there is one major flaw: the casting of Lisa Kudrow as Laura, Ben's fiancee who keeps getting interrupted at every wedding opportunity by Paul's henchmen. Kudrow does well, but isn't given enough to do. This is a real shame, considering there could have been some winning byplay between De Niro and Kudrow, but the three or four writers listed seemed to have nixed the idea of supplying more than one scene between them. Still, there are enough comic zingers, one-liners, and subtle humor to compensate. Besides, you have the prim Chazz Palminteri as the rival mob boss, Primo Sindrone.
"Analyze This" may not be great shakes or worthy of being placed in the annals of great comedy classics, but it is as satisfying and entertaining as any other comedy I've seen as of late. And that's that.
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E-mail me with any questions, concerns or complaints at jerry@movieluver.com or at Faust667@aol.com
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