Analyze That (Widescreen)
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Movie Reviews of Analyze That (Widescreen)
Movie Review: A typical sequel
Summary: 3 Stars
There is little doubt that Analyze this was one of the funniest movies to have come out in a long while. The basic premise that DeNiro is spoofing the mafia roles he has done in the past while Billy Crystal is trying to help him get over his anxiety was pure genius. Then came the sequel, and well it treads on familiar territory but doesn't do much else.The story here is that DeNiro is still in jail after 3 years (wasn't the sentence only 18 months) and he is up for parole in a few weeks. In the mean time Crystals father just died. In jail some one is out to kill DeNiro. From there he fakes a mental illness to get out. When he first arrives in Crystals custody immediatly it is revealed that it was all a hoax. Then for the first 24 hours at his place things go not quite as planned. Soon after DeNiro goes job hunting while trying to figure out who is trying to kill him. He eventually gets a job on this TV mob story (think Sopranoes) and he adds a little moer realism to the show. Eventually he figures out who is out to get him and he sets up this huge gold heist to frame the family that is trying to rub him out.
For the first half of the movie it is truely a funny piece of work. Especially DeNiro singing West SIde Story as part of his hoax. However after he goes job hunting the movie starts to lose something as the comedy goes stale and there seems to be to many physical jokes revolved around Crystals groin. SO over all the movie gets a strong start, but the story goes flat rather quickly after the first half and quite frankly it could of been better.
Movie Review: Low risk, low return
Summary: 3 Stars
In the manner of most sequels, "Analyze That" tries to trade on the success of its warmly funny predecessor by making minimal changes to the script. This time it's Crystal who has the 'father issues' and De Niro who ends up helping him. But watching a neurotic New York shrink grapple with his own inferiority isn't half as funny as watching a tough-guy, Mob boss do the same. Isn't that obvious? Apparently not to Harold Ramis and his co-writers, who make matters worse by refusing to come up with anything new (other than a canny lampooning of "The Sopranos"). There are endless of echoes of the first film: fantasy reverie sequences; plenty of "you, you've got a talent, you" from De Niro; and an emotional subtext which strives to be moving. But these only remind you of how good "Analyze This" was, and how good this one isn't. When the shrink jokes run dry, it just degenerates into a slapstick heist without any of the tense comic agony that distinguished the first film's climax. Crystal and De Niro make the most of the lukewarm script, the latter again showcasing a comic talent which has been under-utilized for most of his career (which is precisely why it's such a funny counterpoint now - as one friend put it, "If he'd been doing comedy all his life, he'd just be some kind of tall Danny DeVito.") This film is still entertaining, and fans of the leads will find plenty to enjoy. But when the outtakes played over the end credits are funnier than the movie, there's something seriously amiss.Movie Review: A Most Pleasant Surprise
Summary: 3 Stars
Before going to see "Analyze That" I described it as a "lousy sequel to a good comedy". I'm very glad to say I was wrong. Although not as good a movie as Analyze This, the return of De Niro as the troubled mobster, and of Crystal as the neurotic shrink is a welcome comedy which is far funnier than the original.If 'Analyze This' was a comic drama with a great central idea, Analyze That is an out and out farce, which is as hilarious as it is shallow.
The plot, as much as there is one, involves De Niro's attempt to escape prison (and assasination) by pretending to be insane. He is released to the custody of Crystal, the shrink who has to 'heal' him.
Ultimately, the plot is of very little important. The point of the movie is a series of hillarious scenes, where De Niro gets to exhibit his comic talent, which he has abundances of. Particularly roaring is a scene in which De Niro freaks out after imagining himself robbing a Jewelery store, and a scene where he flashes himself infront of Crystal's jewish, conservative family.
Don't expect anything resembling deep charactarisation in this flick, but if you want a feel good movie with many, many laughs, with fantastc leads and very good (if underused) secondary characters, Analyse That is a winner
Movie Review: Nothing New
Summary: 3 Stars
If you've seen the original "Analyze This", you'll know the premise of this sequel: a mild-mannered psychiatrist serves as a foil to a supposedly tough guy mob boss who harbors unexpected vulnerability. In this film, Dr. Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal) is called to the prison where Paul Vitti (Robert DeNiro) is serving time. It seems that Vitti has suffered a psychotic break after telephoning Sobel, and the powers-that-be release Vitti into Sobel's care. Of course, there's much more hiding behind DeNiro's obsessive reenactment of "West Side Story" than a breakdown, and the viewer is once again led into the wacky world of Vitti's crime family. The problem is that the first movie had a freshness of plot and character that seem stale in the sequel. We've seen it all before - and with better plotting. It ends up being a comedy that evokes more smiles than outright laughter. DeNiro and Crystal turn in solid performances, as does Joe Viterelli as Jelly. The rest of the cast doesn't have much to work with, and it shows.Mildly funny, with some lulls and a heavy reliance on profanity, this film is a decent way to spend an evening given what's often on television, but it fails to deliver the outrageous comedy of the first.
Movie Review: PRETTY MUCH THE SAME MOVIE.
Summary: 3 Stars
"Analyze That" follows almost exactly the same patterns that the original movie set. And perhaps that's not too bad, because we got another amusing movie from the duo De Niro / Crystal. The movie is funny, but for some reason we get the feeling that "Analyze That" could have been even better. This comedy has the right ingredients: Billy Crystal, one of the best comedians of his generation, Robert De Niro, the best actor of his generation, and a very charismatic supporting cast, including Lisa Kudrow.
Crystal and De Niro reprise their roles as a therapist and mob-boss patient, and of course they are the main reason why this movie has funny moments, Crystal plays the funny guy and De Niro plays the though guy, only this time he turns "apparently" into an old softy singing guy. De Niro isn't the typical comedian, we are used to see him as a mobster, but not as a singing mobster, so when he sings, we laugh.
"Analyze That" offers some laughs, not too many, but this sequel still can be considered as an amusing comedy, of course, we get the sensation that could have been even better, but if you liked the first one, you'll like "Analyze That".