Mafia Blues

The charm of this movie is in the concept and perfect casting. Robert De Niro satirizes his past performances as a Mafia boss. And Billy Crystal as the unwitting psychiatrist who gets involved in the mess. It's truly funny and entertaining. The movie mostly benefits from very good direction by Harold Ramis and excellent performance by the actors and not just De Niro and Crystal.

The verdict: 4 of 5 stars.

I was looking forward to seeing ANALYZE THIS for many reasons. One, Billy Crystal is one great and funny comedian. Two, Robert De Niro is the king of crime-action movies. I mean, ever saw THE UNTOUCHABLES? Three, the storyline did seem like a very good idea that had never been done before. And four, I love Lisa Kudrow. I was not disappointed with this movie. There could have been more, but it is surely worth seeing. There were only a few instances that I started to really laugh, but there were plenty of good and funny jokes, as well as some good touches of mobster-like crime.

Ben Sobol (Billy Crystal) is a family psychiatrist who has a son and is engaged to the beautiful Laura MacNamara (Lisa Kudrow). He gets into a car accident with a dim-witted man Jelly (Joe Viterelli), who happens to be the right-hand man to Paul Vitti, (Robert De Niro) the most powerful mobster in New York. This leads to Vitti seeking the help of Sobol. Vitti gets into very emotional moods and anxiety attacks. He refuses to admit it because he doesn't want to show weakness before a big meeting with the heads of the mob group. Sobol must help Vitti realize his problems with his father, as well as try to survive among the gangsters.

The plot is very original and cool, but the unlikely mixture of crime and comedy might leave a stale taste in your mouth. The curse words in this movie can get a little out of hand for a comedy, but that's because of the crime added to it. They did not bother me at all, in fact I thought it was funny and pulled of very well, especially in scenes between Crystal and De Niro.

Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro work great together. Both do very good jobs at their performances, even though De Niro's crying scenes seemed a little fake. The one at the end was getting better, but they still looked forced. The gorgeous Lisa Kudrow, although probably a bit under-played, did a good job too. I also think Joe Viterelli did a good job as the stupid, funny mobster. He certainly looks the part of a mobster, and I think the comic touch in his role was pulled off well.

There were a few plot holes, however, such as the one with Billy Crystal's character having problems with his father. This is, arguably, used to further the plot between De Niro and his father, but it is never resolved for Crystal. There are also a few jokes that didn't work, but the jokes that do work completely make up for them. This movie is different from your average SNL-alumni comedy movie, but it's full of funny jokes and characters and is certainly worth a rent.

I enjoyed this much more than I expected to. DeNiro hasn't had a part this good in years, and he plays it to the hilt. It will remind you why you liked him in the first place. Billy Crystal is just as good, but it DeNiro's movie all the way. Your life will not be changed by watching this, but you will enjoy it.

I really liked this movie. It was pretty damned funny. De Niro and Crystal made a good team. Sure, both De Niro and Crystal have built their careers on these characters (De Niro as the tough guy gangster and Crystal as the nuerotic worried guy), but just so long as they play them to perfection, like we know they can, then it's fine with me. This is also a fairly original idea, not never been done before, but still pretty clever.

Besides De Niro and Crystal, I though Lisa Kudrow was very funny. Once again, she plays a sort of ditzy blonde, but she does it well, even though I hear she is very intelligent. Chazz Plaminteri was also pretty funny. I liked the line "I wanna go see a movie, but it's all just violent shoot em' up s***; I get enough of that at work". The kid who played Billy Crystal's son did a good job.

I liked this movie because there was a mix of subtle humor and just being silly. I like how every single mafia stereo type is made fun of, like the thing with the nick-names, where Billy Crystal's character starts spouting off nonsense names like Sammy Da Schnoz, and Elmer Da Fudd. I good comedy for those who don't mind cussing (the previews should automatically drive you away if your opposed to cussing). 9/10

Analyze this is a fine movie, with a great cast of likable characters and an interesting storyline. Billy Crystal plays Ben Sobel a psycho-therapist who practises in the shadow of his brilliant father, and is due to marry the woman of his dreams (Lisa Kudrow). Robert De Niro plays Paul Vitti, a mafia crime boss who is struggling with his emotions and his libido. This satirical slant on the classic mobster movies is excellently played out by Crystal and De Niro, who form a formidable comedy duo, with plenty of laughs.

Rated 15 'Analyze This' doesn't shy away from profanity and violence, ensuring that it fits into the mobster theme seamlessly, delivering us a highly enjoyable movie without offending fans of the mobster genre.

8/10