Analyze That
(Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal / R / 95 mins / Warner Bros.)
Overview:Mob boss Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) winds up in Sing Sing, and his loony behavior in prison has the FBI wondering whether it's all an act to get released early or whether the big guy has finally cracked. Dr. Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal), Vitti's trusted psychotherapist, is brought in. It turns out that Dr. Sobel could use a little couch time himself; he's dealing with his father's death and a serious identity crisis. His life becomes even more stressed when Vitti is released into his care, becoming his patient (again) and houseguest.
Verdict:'Analyze That' is most definitely clever, vulgar and fully committed to making us howl with laughter, but it doesn't take long to get the sinking sensation that you're seeing a shadow of a former joke. Picking up where its predecessor left off: at a logical endpoint requiring no sequel, 'Analyze That' cracks wise for 15 minutes then puts on a pair of concrete shoes and takes comedy out for a cruise. Sure it delivers its share of amusing moments, but, when it comes to inventive or inspired comedy, it is lacking and contented to be a loose-jointed series of skits and therefore ends up painfully padded.
Reviewed by Russell A. Trunk