Starring:
Robert De Niro as Paul Vitti
Billy Crystal as Dr. Ben Sobol
Lisa Kudrow as Laura MacNamara Sobol
Joe Viterelli as Jelly
Joe D’Onofrio as Gunmen
Joseph Bono as Wiseguy
William DeMeo as Al Pacino
John Finn
Anthony LaPaglia
Richard Maldone as Joey
Brian Rogalski as Earl
Reg Rogers as Raoul Berman
Thomas Rosales Jr. as Coyote
Summary:
If you liked “Analyze This”, then you’ll enjoy “Analyze That”. It’s more of the same funny stuff from Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro.
Story:
Some time after the first movie, Paul Vitti is spending time in prison. He’s about to be up for his first parole hearing. However, someone doesn’t want him to get out of prison. After several unsuccessful assassination attempts, Vitti pretends to go nuts.
The FBI contacts Dr. Ben Sobol, Vitti’s psychiatrist, and asks him to evaluate his former patient. Believing that Vitti has gone crazy, he recommends that he be let out on parole. The catch is that he is released into Sobol’s custody. Despite grieving the death of his un-approving father, Sobol agrees to take him.
Once out, Vitti starts to track down who among his former fellow mobsters is trying to kill him. At the same time he must hold down a steady job and attend therapy sessions with Sobol in order to stay out on parole. But can Vitti stay away from his old criminal ways?
“Analyze That” is rated R for language and some sexual content.
What Worked:
While “Analyze That” doesn’t surpass its predecessor, it’s still just as funny. Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro still have fantastic chemistry together and both seem to be having fun on the screen. It’s good to see them together again.
I think Robert De Niro’s performance this time around is better than the first. He doesn’t do the horrible fake crying nearly as much. He also has some hilarious moments early in the film where he pretends to be crazy. Singing showtunes from “West Side Story,” he makes a great lunatic. We are also treated to some scenes of him trying some different service oriented jobs. Needless to say, a mob boss doesn’t take being told what to do very well. There are some great scenes in the film where he comes on board as a consultant on a Sopranos-like show called “Little Caesar”. It gives him some great moments to show the Hollywood types what a real mobster is like.
Unfortunately, Billy Crystal gets less screentime this round. One of the highlights of his performance is when he’s thrown into the middle of the mob at the end of the film (like he was in the first). He has a rather humorous turn of personality that sets even Vitti back. And, ironically, Vitti ends up helping Sobol with his own personal problems.
Be sure to stay through the credits to get a look at some really funny bloopers. Some of the highlights include Billy Crystal making De Niro crack up in scenes where he’s required to be stone faced.
What Didn’t Work:
Overall I have no real gripes about this film. I think a few things could have been taken to the next level, though. I would have liked to see more with Vitti and the “Little Caesar” TV show. It would have been funny if they had gotten the real Sopranos cast for this film. Lisa Kudrow’s role is fairly light in this sequel, too. I think that she could have been used a bit more than she was. Overall, though, it’s an enjoyable movie.
