Analyze This (1999)

A comedy about a psychiatrist whose number one patient is an insecure mob boss.

Director:

Harold Ramis

Writers:

Kenneth Lonergan (story), Peter Tolan (story)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Paul Vitti
Billy Crystal	...	Dr. Ben Sobel
Lisa Kudrow	...	Laura MacNamara Sobel
Chazz Palminteri	...	Primo Sidone
Kresh Novakovic	...	'50s Gangster (as Kresimir Novakovic)
Bart Tangredi	...	Young Vitti Sr.
Michael Straka	...	Young Dominic Manetta
Joseph Rigano	...	Dominic Manetta (as Joe Rigano)
Joe Viterelli	...	Jelly
Richard C. Castellano	...	Jimmy Boots (as Richard Castellano)
Molly Shannon	...	Caroline
Max Casella	...	Nicky Shivers
Frank Pietrangolare	...	Tuna
Kyle Sabihy	...	Michael Sobel
Bill Macy	...	Dr. Isaac Sobel

Storyline

Living in the shadow of his famous psychiatrist father, with multiple issues to deal with while getting ready to remarry, the New York City psychologist, Dr Ben Sobel, has one more problem to take care of, after a fender bender with the powerful mob boss, Paul Vitti. Secretly suffering from intense anxiety attacks that render him incapable of doing what he is best at, the notorious gangster decides to pay the good doctor a visit, hell-bent on resolving his deep-seated issues before the annual meeting of Big Apple's Mafia Dons. Now, Ben has a pressing two-week deadline to come up with an effective solution, as his conflicted but dangerous patient takes no for an answer. Can Ben analyse this?

---

Plot Keywords:

sex scene | mafia boss | mob boss | sexual intercourse | mobster | 

---

Taglines:

New York's most powerful gangster is about to get in touch with his feelings. YOU try telling him his 50 minutes are up.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, a scene of sexuality and some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Harold Ramis considers this film a cross between The Godfather (1972) and What About Bob? (1991).

---

Goofs

FBI agents are shown participating in the 1957 Appalachian raid. In that year, J. Edgar Hoover's FBI's policy was that the Mafia did not exist, so no federal agents were involved in the raid, which was conducted by New York state troopers only.

---

Quotes

[afterreceiving a lavish gift from Vitti]
Dr. Ben Sobel: Call the Vatican. See if something is missing.

---

Connections

Referenced in Monsters, Inc. (2001)

---

Soundtracks

Angelina (The Waitress At The Pizzeria)
Written by Allan Roberts (as Allen Roberts), Doris Fisher, Louis Prima and Paolo Citarella
Performed by Louis Prima
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Music Special Markets

User Reviews

Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal form the perfect shtick. *** out of ****.

ANALYZE THIS / (1999) ***

It has been a long time since I have seen a comic duo form a better shtick than Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal in the mob comedy "Analyze This," a smart, amusing satire from director Harold Ramis ("Multiplicity," "Groundhog Day"). For a movie like this to succeed past a commercial level, chemistry between the main characters must be amiable and spirited. Crystal and DeNiro indeed mold amiable incentive between themselves, therefore quite a few hilarious moments emerge from their perception of the well-written script by Kenneth Lonergan, Peter Tolan, and Ramis himself.

"Analyze This" details the lives of two very different individuals. The first person is played by Billy Crystal, a calm, cool, and collected psychiatrist named Ben Sobol, who is divorced with a young teenage son and is engaged to soon wed a resigning TV reporter named Laura MacNamara (Lisa Kudrow). Ben is currently dealing with a emotional patient (Molly Shannon) distressed because her spouse left and filed a restraining order on her. This woman's problems will seem like nothing when Ben obtains his new client.

Robert DeNiro plays the second person this movie examines, the most powerful mobster in the city of New York, Paul Vitti. He and his accomplices, including a chubby and clumsy bodyguard named Jelly (Joe Viterelli), are in the process of significant business when Vitti experiences an anxiety attack. On the road to a nervous breakdown, this emotionally vulnerable man comes to Ben after Jelly briefly encounters the therapist during a minor car accident. Ben is very nervous with his new patient, who forces compliments and demands upon him.

The first confrontation sequence between Ben and Paul is quite engaging. There is an instant odd couple chemistry among the two characters. The witty sessions Sobol and Vitti consummate are also very imaginative and smart. The scenes also have the intelligence to take Vitti's emotional problems seriously.

The setup accurately introduces both the gangsters and the psychiatrist's family. We understand the mob boss's feelings of stress and depression; this picture is not all shallow slapstick comedy, there is a dimensional human touch. The film takes its conflicts seriously, but executes them in a cute humorous style. The audience can also relate to Billy Crystal's character, who is an average Joe with a typical American family in a complicated situation in which he is not entirely sure how to handle.

Both external and internal conflicts are interestingly accomplished, well structured, presented, and written. The film does a good job of convincingly bringing the world of mobsters to life with well-cast actors and their rich, stylish accents.

Paul Vitti's sexual life needed more exploration; although his adulterous intentions do induce a few laughs, the story could have gone somewhere with his infidelity. Vitti's family is also irresolute. The film almost never portrays them on screen and seldom does Paul himself discuss his children and wife. The Lisa Kudrow character is furthermore underwritten, never thoroughly examined and very shallow. The lack of chemistry amid Kudrow and Crystal leads to the unconvincing relationship Ben occupies.

Robert DeNiro is the perfect option for the comic role of Paul Vitti, who is a more difficult character than it may appear. DeNiro triggers a sharp comic edge and gives the right amount of exaggerated sentimentality to Vitti. Lisa Kudrow is fun to watch, producing a dim-minded character whimsically similar to the one in her hit TV sitcom "Friends." Chazz Palminteri and Joe Viterelli contribute different but energetic supporting roles.

"Analyze This" is unmistakably the right kind of movie for Billy Crystal. I am unaware of another Hollywood comedian who could have conquered his role with more proficiency and mirth; he is one of the main components that makes "Analyze This" work well. Harold Ramis's comedy obviously borrows ideas from past comparable films like "Grosse Point Blank" and "Mafia," but as this production proves, just because it was done before doesn't mean it cannot be successfully accomplished again with the right casting.

Details

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 March 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Analyze This

Filming Locations:

Bal Harbour, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,383,507, 7 March 1999

Gross USA:

$106,885,658

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$176,885,658

Company Credits

Production Co:

Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment, Baltimore Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1