ANALYZE THAT
Starring:
Robert DeNiro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow, Joe Viterelli and Anthony LaPaglia
Director:
Harold Ramis
Running Time:
95 mins
For convicted Mob boss Paul Vitti (DeNiro), prison is driving him crazy. After two attempts on his life all he does is sing songs from West Side Story or sit in a comatose state. Unable to snap him out of it, the prison psychiatrist calls in Vitti's old shrink Ben Sobel (Crystal) to help. Seeing that the patient will only respond to him, Vitti is released into Sobel's custody only to find out he was faking so he could get out and find out who was trying to kill him.
If a movie is successful, Hollywood is bound to make a sequel. Some are bad, some are good and some are plenty not needed. Analyze That falls into the later category.
The first film was fun. It showcased Robert DeNiro then undiscovered comic abilities and his capacity to make fun of his own onscreen persona. The chemistry between him and Billy Crystal was very good and extremely funny in parts. The sequel is a completely different matter.
The two stars look like they have just returned for the big paycheques. All of the energy and chemistry exhibited in the first movie is gone and DeNiro and Crystal just seem to be going through the motions. There is only slight glimpses of the two's comic interactions in the few very funny moments in the film. Whether it was lack of enthusiasm for the project or the lacklustre script that accounts for this, we will never know. Billy Crystal is particularly restrained, offering none of his usual comic banter and off the cuff remarks that usually bless his performances. What makes it worse is the sight of Robert DeNiro, one of the greatest actors of all time, singing and dancing. The man has really sold out.
The supporting cast are not much better. Joe Viterelli is basically a one-dimensional stereotypical mobster character and Lisa Kudrow just plays an anger version of Phoebe from Friends.
Analyze That is a movie that didn't need to be made. Were it does supply a few laughs, it is missing the chemistry and fun of the first movie, making it very average indeed.
NOT AVAILABLE
The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks
Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher
2003
