An average comedy. (Analyze This (DVD))

Member Name: Bish

Product:	Analyze This (DVD)
Date:	10/09/01 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some funy moments., De Niro

Disadvantages: It's nothing special., Lisa Kudrow.

Robert De Niro appears along side Billy Crystal in this 1999 comedy where he takes on a familiar role as a New York mob boss, only this time he’s playing it strictly for laughs. The film is director by Harold Ramis who’s other works include ‘ Bedazzled’, ‘Groundhog Day’ and ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’.

The story is about Paul Vitti (De Niro), one of New York’s most powerful mafia bosses who’s scheduled to attend an important meeting with other members of the mob from around the country. Things are going well for Vitti until he finds himself under fire from another mobster, after which he begins to suffer from panic attacks.

Psychiatrist Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal) is due to go on vacation where he will marry his fiancé Laura (Lisa Kudrow). Prior to leaving he bumps his car into the back of a car driven by a couple of Vitti’s henchmen and this results with him leaving them his business card. When Vitti confides in one of his men that he would like to speak to a psychiatrist about a friend his man promptly hands Vitti the card given to him by Sobel. Of course Sobel is less than keen to treat him but he soon learns that Vitti is not a man used to hearing the word no.

Now I’ll hold my hands up and admit that I didn’t find the film as funny as I’d expected. If anything it reminded me very much of the 1990 film ‘What About Bob’ which starred Richard Dreyfuss as a shrink who is followed on vacation by one of his patients played by Bill Murray. In all honesty I found that film better than this one.

The acting and on screen partnership between De Niro and Crystal are excellent and there are a lot of funny moments between the two of them. Crystal is fine despite me not being a big fan of his and DeNiro of course is great. The only exception concerning De Niro are the scenes in which he has cry, I don’t know whether these were made
to look intentionally bad or that he’s simple unable to cry convincingly on camera.

Sadly we have to put up with the god awful acting of Lisa Kudrow who for some reason I find horrendous to watch, perhaps it’s just me but I find her dreadful in everything she does. One of the films stand out roles has to be that of Vitti’s henchman Jelly. He’s played by Joe Viterelli and appears in the some of the films funniest moments.

Personally I don’t feel the film reaches its full potential and I did expect a little bit more from writer/director Ramis. Don’t let me put anyone off watching this, just don’t get carried away with thinking it’s going to be something special, because it isn’t.

Summary: