ANALYZE THIS
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
For today's cinematic feast, ANALYZE THIS, we assemble the finest
ingredients. For one leading actor, we put in one of Hollywood's very
best actors, Robert De Niro, who has been nominated for 6 Oscars and won
two. And for the other lead, we combine De Niro with one of America's
funniest comedians, Billy Crystal. We locate some of the top supporting
actors, including Lisa Kudrow and Chazz Palminteri, to give extra
flavor. For the chef, we use GROUNDHOG DAY's director, Harold Ramis,
who, working with other writing talents, also comes up with a hilarious
recipe.
The results? Magnific!
Okay, so the right ingredients do not always produce a sumptuous meal.
Sometimes, they turn out incredibly bland (FATHER'S DAY) and other
times, stomach curdling indigestible (MY GIANT). This time, however,
the meal from appetizers to dessert is a real treat.
Robert De Niro plays Paul Vitti (Mr. V. to you), a gangster with a
debilitating illness. The head of one New York's crime families, as was
his father, Mr. V. suffers from anxiety or panic attacks that cause him
to break into tears, not something likely to instill fear and loyalty in
his men. He even admits to having had trouble in bed once. Well,
twice. Maybe 3 times. Actually, he doesn't want to discuss it. What
he needs is a good shrink who can provide a quick cure -- he's currently
in the middle of a gang war with a family headed by Chazz Palminteri --
and can keep quiet about the treatment.
Mr. V. decides Ben Sobol (Billy Crystal) is just the psychiatrist for
him, even if a scared Ben wants nothing to do with him. The chemistry
between the street-wise Mr. V. and the intellectual Ben is deliciously
funny. "What is my goal here, to make you a happy, well-adjusted
gangster?" Ben asks rhetorically.
Not wanting to spend time at the bottom of the river with bricks in her
pockets, Ben reluctantly agrees to treat the gangster when he returns
from his honeymoon. But before the marriage with his non-understanding
fiancée, played by Lisa Kudrow, Mr. V. keeps yanking Ben away to deal
with one emotional crisis after another. De Niro and Crystal, who are
both at the top of their form in ANALYZE THIS, have great chemistry
together with both giving as good as he gets in the comedic battle of
the actor titans. Ramis has the good sense to have them play the comedy
seriously, thus avoiding the overacting that a pure parody would have
likely created.
The best of the movie's sight gags comes in the wedding present that Mr.
V. sends the happy new couple. A Vatican-sized fountain, complete with
flying horses spouting water, adorns -- actually, totally dominates --
the Sobol's front yard. Later, Mr. V. will top even this lavish token
of his appreciation.
Some of the movie's best lines are unprintable. One of these comes when
Mr. V. is explaining his problems with sexual dysfunction with his
girlfriend. Ben asks, seriously, why Mr. V. needs a girlfriend since he
already has a wife. De Niro, who has trouble keeping a straight face
with his answer, provides a rationale that most people have probably not
considered.
The mark of a well-rounded movie is whether the supporting cast is
offered as many good lines as the stars. By that measure, ANALYZE THIS
is certainly a success. A typically oddball line occurs when one of Mr.
V.'s guards, a flabby one appropriately named Jelly (Joe Viterelli),
goes out for sandwiches. Jelly asks the other guard if he wants one
too. "What kind of sandwich ain't too fattening?" the other guard asks.
"A half a sandwich," a never-weight-conscious Jelly replies in disgust.
Between warring gangs and investigating members of the OCD (not
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as Ben surmises but Organized Crimes
Division), Ben tries to keep his head while all about him are losing
theirs. When Mr. V. goes into another of his crying fits at an
unpropitious moment, Ben counsels him, "It's time to turn all of that
nice grief into a murderous rage."
Comedies, even the best ones, frequently fizzle in the end, as happened
in the recent OFFICE SPACE. With melodramas, the conclusion is usually
central to the narrative, but not so when it comes to humorous stories.
ANALYZE THIS manages to find a way to resolve the story's conflicts in a
manner that is both satisfying and unusual -- a nice cap to a sweet
comedy.
ANALYZE THIS runs 1:45. It is rated R for profanity, brief sexuality
and comic violence and would be fine for teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com
Web: www.InternetReviews.com
Have I seen this movie: Yes
And what did I think: Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal give another fine performance in this comedy directed by the former Ghostbuster, Harold Ramis. For anyone who likes comedic gangster movies, this shouldn't disappoint. It features a lot of the stereotypical Italian-American gangster shown in the movies, but its all in good fun. One funny scene in particular is taken right from the Godfather when Billy Crystal is dreaming and is assassinated just like Vito Corleone was when he was buying fruit. Robert DeNiro plays a neurotic head gangster with some major problems. Because of this, he asks Billy Crystal to help him sort his problems out. Reluctantly, Crystal agrees.... how can you say no to a top mobster? DeNiro's boys disrupt his life and even his own wedding to have him help their boss. Now it's humorous and all, but it's not one of the best comedies out there. If you're a big DeNiro or Crystal fan, you should like it, however if you just are looking for something good to rent, you might be better waiting for this to come on to cable. It's good, but not the best comedy out there now.
I give Analyze This 3.5 out of 5 stars
Review written August 26, 1999