Un boss sotto stress

The rise of the producing team of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun, Flashdance and sundry other subtle works exploring the deepest secrets of the human heart) in the 1980s introduced the High Concept movie - one whose premise and entire raison d'être could be summed up in a single sentence, preferably referring to other hit movies – for example Days of Thunder was `Top Gun with cars.' 1999's Analyse This may have been a High Concept movie – Mafia Don Sees Shrink With Hilarious Results – but it had a lightness of touch that made it seem less like a focus-group product and more like an offbeat little comedy.

Unfortunately for Analyse That, the success of The Sopranos has made Mafioso-psychiatrist relations almost as much a cliché as two cops, one steady and by the book and the other an impulsive maverick, who initially hate each other but bond over the course of several gun battles. More fundamentally, the concept of Analyse This hasn't been taken any further. There could be some entertainment to be had when Robert de Niro's character takes a job as an advisor on `Little Caesar', a Mafia-themed TV drama, but the main joke is that the actor playing the Don is an Australian. It struck me that both actors who played Don Corleone in The Godfather series have now taken the mickey out of the mafia – Brando in The Freshman and now de Niro in the Analyse This and That series (if there's a sequel, what will it be called? Analyse The Other?)

Lisa Kudrow is grossly underused – one gets the feeling that much of her part ended up on the cutting room floor. Both Crystal and de Niro are pretty good (this is called `damning with faint praise' in the trade, if you're wondering) There are some pleasing shots of New York, and David Holmes' soundtrack has its moments (although is nothing to his work for Ocean's Eleven or Out of Sight) Analyse That is not a bad film, just a rather forgettable one. Puts the `sleep' into `sleeps with the fishes.'

"Analyze That" is proof the critics can be wrong. Which probably means you shouldn't be listening to me, either. But you are, oh well. I guess I'll have to review the movie, now.

The Boss and The Shrink are back in therapy: Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) has been locked up in Sing-Sing for 850 days. Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal) has just lost his father. That's when he gets the call from Vitti. Vitti gives him the low-down: Someone is trying to kill Vitti in jail. Sobel hangs up, Vitti gets mad, so he fakes crazy, and Sobel gets called in (since he is Vitti's psychiatrist). Sobel believes Vitti is cuckoo in the slammer, as he sees him singing tunes from "West Side Story" (one of the funniest parts in the film). So Vitti is released into the custody of Ben Sobel. But on the ride to Sobel's house, Vitti snaps out of it, only to reveal that he is not crazy, but, in fact, quite well. Now Vitti must start a new life and get a real job - that involves working "from 9 to 5!" - and find out who is trying to kill him...and why.

Perhaps I am mistaken, but "Analyze That" is funnier than "Analyze This." Maybe it's just me, but I found it quite funny. I didn't think it was a "rip-off" sequel, there for "no artistic reason." Sure, it's a sequel. Of course it's not going to be an Oscar-winner for originality; I don't ask for that in a comedy. Honestly, can you think of any sequel (other than the rare "Godfather Part II" film) that is as good as the original in terms of reasons for being there? All I know is that I think "Analyze That" had some very funny moments. Take, for instance, the scenes where Vitti is trying to get a new job. He becomes a car salesman for a day, and leads around a couple, showing them a nice car. "Look at that trunk - you could fit three bodies in there!" he says. When they say they're going to think about it: "What's there to think about? You've been busting my b@lls for the last hour over this thing, asking me all these stupid questions, taking it for a test drive...so why don't you buy it?"

Scenes like these are hilarious. And while there are somewhat long sequences without any laughs, the laugh-out-loud scenes more than make up for those lacking.

The only thing about this film that makes me drop the rating a notch is the execution of the last half hour. Just like the first movie, they set up a ridiculous "action" ending, that isn't action at all. Its ending is overlong and goes way too long without any laughs.

But that is the only thing I didn't like about the movie. De Niro and Crystal have a real chemistry, even more so here than in the first film. De Niro steals the scenes he is in, and Crystal steals the scenes he is in, and when they are both on screen, you're not sure who to look at.

I find Robert De Niro's latest journeys into comedy quite funny. He made a few comedies here and there in the past, but in the last three years he's coughed out some funny movies. "Analyze This," "Meet the Parents," "Analyze That," and to a certain degree (it was okay), "Showtime."

Perhaps I am confused. Maybe I need to see the first again. But having seen the original about twice, and "Analyze That" once, I can honestly say that I laughed more in "Analyze That" than I did watching "Analyze This." And if that's not a good sequel, I don't know what is.

Here's to "Analyze This, That, and the Other Thing"!

3.5/5 stars -

John Ulmer

Analyze me this: "Analyze That" (AT) makes as much of a comedy as "Jaws" makes a popular science film on Discovery channel. Got the point? OK let me try this: AT is not funny, it's humiliating. It was humiliating to watch De Niro tearing down the memories of a once great actor.

How long has been since we saw him act, I mean act la De Niro. Let's see. The last memorable performance was in "Cape Fear" in 1991 and since then the only worth mentioning are "Frankenstein", "Casino" and sure "Analyze This". The rest complete crap - "The Fan", "Sleepers", "Jackie Brown", "Ronin", "Meet the Parents", "The Score" to mention a few. Don't forget, we are talking about Robert De Niro. Is he blind? Doesn't he read the scripts? Or is just about money again. 20 million for this sequel-now that's laughable.

Don't waste your time with this movie. It's not that you gonna hate it, De Niro and Billy Crystal are in it, but it's a waste of time. AT is so contrived with an idiotic plot and the jokes are so stupid with most of them actually repeated from "Analyze This". For me this movie ranks below 5 out of 10.

Analyze This had an element of novelty and a generous dose of humor. Lacking the novelty due to its sequelhood, Analyze That tries to compensate by making forays into the psyche of Dr. Ben Sobol (Billy Crystal) as well as a little more (very little) analysis of mobster Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro). The psychology angle is not given much time or emphasis, but I suppose director Harold Ramis should get a couple of points for making a token effort.

The film is pretty funny and worth seeing, but doesn't really offer us anything new. This is forgivable, though, because Crystal and De Niro are entertaining enough to carry the picture. Overall, I'd recommend it -- it's funny and watchable and the two leads are very good.

Sequels rarely live up to the original, and this is no exception. It has its moments, as well as some laughs, but the original was better and funnier. I sort of liked it, but as I said... You might like it if you liked the original. ** out of ****