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.
