Genre-defining crime dramas, thrillers, and comedies have markedRobert De Niro’s storied acting career. The latter is especially true when the Oscar-winning icon scored laugh-out-loud hits such asMidnight RunandMad Dog and Glorythat brought gritty humor to dangerous scenarios. Such was not the case, however, for the overlong gag fest known asAnalyze This. The 1999 crime comedy directed by the legendaryHarold Ramis(National Lampoon’s Vacation,Groundhog Day) was a surprise hit upon release, grossing$176 million worldwideand earning a 69% favorable rating from critics onRotten Tomatoes. The tale of De Niro’s stressed-out gangster confronting his issues with the help ofBilly Crystal’s dry psychiatrist was released just two months after HBO aired the pilot episode of a similar crisis of conscience tale,The Sopranos. Unlike the morally complex crime drama that ran for six seasons,Analyze Thisis nothing more than a glorified sitcom episode with little replay value.
The Premise of ‘Analyze This’ Runs Out of Steam Fast
The hook ofAnalyze Thisgoes further than the ‘patient from hell’ angle thatWhat About Bob?did so well. There’s a clear juxtaposition between the worlds of Paul Vitti (De Niro) and Dr. Ben Sobel (Crystal). The mob boss is constantly on edge with his enemies gunning after him, including his rival Primo Sidone (Chazz Palminteri). Meanwhile, the psychiatrist has anxiety about getting married a second time to his much younger wife Laura (Lisa Kudrow), and finds no fulfillment in helping patients. Once they come together, the two men are immediatelytaken out of their comfort zone and have self-revelations about the state of their lives.
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Initially, the pairing of De Niro and Crystal had promise in delivering the laughs. De Niro satirizes the typical gangster persona he displayed inGoodfellasandCasino. Crystal aims for his midlife crisis New Yorker type seen in the hit filmsWhen Harry Met Sally…andCity Slickers. While Crystal works fine for the even-tempered Ben with occasional outbursts,De Niro’s performance is whereAnalyze Thisquickly loses its appealfast. Their first therapy session, in which Paul claims he’s there to see about “a friend” getting help, sets the tone for their push-and-pull dynamic. Though later session scenes push the plot along and reveal more about Paul’s backstory, there’s no real change in shaking up De Niro’s persona beyond his constant teary breakdowns. Even Paul’s memorable “you’re good” line becomes incredibly redundant by the timeAnalyze Thisreaches its end.
‘Analyze This’ Leans Too Hard on Mob Gimmicks for Laughs
Though De Niro had success in playing unique character types in comedies like the bounty hunter inMidnight Runor the ex-CIA father inMeet the Parents,De Niro does not put a lot of effort into elevating Paul past his two-dimensional characterization. Either he plays tough to poke fun at himself or suffers comedic panic attacks to show he’s not as tough as he looks. Outside of Crystal’s presence, none of the other characters' relationships bring anything different out of him. Additionally, the uninteresting B-plot of his rivalry with Primo plays like every other mob drama with nothing unique to add to a movie intended as a send-up ofthe genre that De Niro helped to popularize.
Outside the session scenes,director Ramis relies on mob movie stereotypes and tropes executed in a parody manner. Most of Ben’s encounters with Paul and his gang involve some comedic reference to getting whacked. Other times, the film tries to get laughs through violence, including Ben in a head-on collision with a mob vehicle carrying a dead body, Paul shooting a pillow for stress relief, and the climax where Crystal poses as a consigliere during a meeting of the families. The screenplay forAnalyze Thisdoes not subvert the clichés but rather dials them up for laughs, making the Italian gangsters appear as pasta-eating thugs with no filter.
As talented as Ramis was as a comedy director withVacation,Groundhog Day, andCaddyshack, he struggles with balancing a tone between slapstick comedy and treating the mob elements as something more grounded than stupid.Martin Brestproved his genius directing De Niro inMidnight Runbecause he had the actor playing to the authenticity of bounty hunter life and found a straight-man dynamic withCharles Grodinas his on-screen partner. The peril they were put through on the road created comedic situations that never felt downright silly.Analyze This, however, is afull-blown farce built around cardboard cut-out charactersput into scenes echoingSaturday Night Livesketches. At the end of the day,Analyze Thisis really a novelty comedy that seems funny on the surface. Its 2002 sequelAnalyze Thatonly reinforced the idea that a singular joke can go way too long before the audience stops laughing.
Analyze This
Analyze This follows a troubled mob boss who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks, prompting him to seek therapy from an unwilling psychiatrist. The unlikely relationship between the criminal mastermind and his therapist leads to unexpected comedic situations as both struggle to maintain their professional and personal lives.
