Analyze That (Widescreen)
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Movie Reviews of Analyze That (Widescreen)
Movie Review: Not as good as the first one.
Summary: 3 Stars
The storyline for this movie wasn't as great as the one for "Analyze This". This, in my opinion, made the movie so-so. There were a few scenes which were extremely funny though. I enjoyed the movie but it does not get a high rating in my book. "Analyze This" was so much better overall.Movie Review: They should have analyzed the script first
Summary: 2 Stars
Shrink Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal) receives a call from his former pattient, mobster Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) during his father's funeral. He is brought into prison to treat Vitti; who has been singing songs from Broadway musicals before lapsing into a state of catatonia. This doesn't surprise Sobel who diagnoses Vitti as having "brief psychotic disorder". The problem is that the mobster could become a permanemt schizo if he remains in the prison environment. The solution? Have Vitti released into Dr.Sobel's care- and if Sobel refuses to accept he loses his license to practice psychiatry. So Sobel has no choice but to again work with a guy "with an I.Q just south of a bedroom slipper".But upon picking Vitti up from prison Sobel finds out that the mafioso's been faking his symptoms because he's been targeted by his old cronies who literally want his head on a plate. So it's up to Sobel to attempt once more to help Vitti go straight. The first job opportunity that comes along seems talior made for Vitti: as a Creative Consultant on a Mob movie, which predictably turns sour. So it's not long before Vitti's back to his old ways, joining crime lord Lou Rigazzi and his "family" to help plan a gold heist, which Ben finds himself dragged into.
With Crystal and Barry Levinson serving as Executive Producers, and again Directed and Co-written by Harold Ramis, the man behind the wonderful GROUNDHOG DAY and the amusing MULTIPLICITY; ANALYZE THAT is a huge disappointment which pales in comparison to its predecessor. Obviously just an attempt to cash in on the success of the first movie, it's lacking that crucial something: A good script.
I laughed maybe twice during the entire movie, which offers less laughs in favor of more violence and ample profanity in pure GOODFELLAS fashion, so parental discretion is advised. Another quibble is that Lisa Kudrow has virtually nothing to do here, leaving you wondering if Ramis only recast her merely as a pretty face to offset tbe wrinkles of the movie's ageing leads.
Even the bloopers during the end credits aren't funny, though the cast and crew seem to think so. Methinks not. Rent this if you must, but don't buy it. If you want a laugh you're better off watching the first movie again. This is just a huge waste of talent.
DVD extras include Director's Commentary, behind the scenes doco, subtitles and a M.A.D.E test (Mafioso Association Degree Exam).
Movie Review: Not much to analyze.
Summary: 2 Stars
**1/2This film continues where the first one left off. Paul Vitti(Robert DeNiro) is now in Sing Sing (a jail full of surly inmates). And Ben Sobel's(Billy Crystal) father is dead. The premise of the movie involves an attempted assasination of Paul, and a hilarious cell phone call scene at the funeral of Ben Sobel's father. Vitti fakes being phsychotic and catatonic, trying to be released into Sobel's custody.
However, the premise and the laughs fall off after the scene where De Niro is catatonic in jail, which just happens to be in the first 20 minutes of the film. The laughs seem forced and so do the jokes. In a series of bad jokes and plot line revelations the film takes a turn for the worse. Sobel's relentless pill popping scenes are more disturbing than funny, and for some reason the comedy behind a mobster finding an everyday job seemed stale and forced. The comedy seemed so forced to me that I thought I saw a sign light up prompting viewers to laugh at the punch line. i.e. "You could fit 3 bodies in there" Vitti referring to the trunk of an Audi that he is trying to sell.
De Niro and Crystal are fine actors, who have a lot of range, but even they could not save the film from the poor script and bad jokes. Kudrow who plays Crystal's wife delivers her usual role, showing that no matter what she takes on she is always Kudrow or should I say Phoebe from the TV show "Friends."
Overall this movie's vacuous plot and forced comedy let me down. The first film was excellent and I was expecting the same sort of excellence this time around. I did however enjoy the behind the scenes commentary on father son relationships, infidelity in marriage, and friendship of two human beings.
That said, I would however encourage most people to see the film, it's a light snack, easily consumed, and moderately tasty.
Movie Review: This is why sequels have such a bad reputation
Summary: 2 Stars
The only reason I'm reviewing this movie now is because I just watched it on TV today. And the only reason I watched it was because nothing else was on. So...
No, let's be fair. I did enjoy Analyze This, I really did, though it wasn't a masterpiece that would remain with me for the rest of my life, or even for the rest of the day. And I do love both Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro; they made a fantastic comedic duo in the first movie. I didn't have very high expectations, though, because I rarely expect too much of sequels. Once again, I was proven right.
Analyze That illustrates perfectly why `sequel' sounds like such a dirty word. The original film had a spark of originality; the sequel merely takes the same idea and the same jokes and tries to make them funny again. But of course, that could never work. It's the same problem with almost every comedic sequel: those who haven't seen the original wouldn't understand the jokes, and those who have already heard them before. And that is why they fail time after time.
So what does this movie have? A great comedic duo, a couple of really funny guys. Yeah, and? Fathers' Day had an even better pair, look what happened to that. A couple of good mafia jokes? Sure, sure. I even cracked a smile on several occasions. But that isn't enough. There are thousands of comedy films out there; not many of them have that special something that makes them memorable, and producers think they'll improve their odds by recycling the ones that work instead of trying to get new ideas. Newsflash: think again. Nobody watches these movies. There's no reason to when you can just watch the original again.
Movie Review: A waste of good talent!!
Summary: 2 Stars
The success of "Analyze This", a sparkling comedy about a "shrink" and his Mob boss-patient, is not duplicated in the sequel, "Analyze That". Crystal and DeNiro have the potential to be a great "ham-and-egg" comedy team, but they're not given much to work with in this snoozer of a plot.As Crystal's character grieves the passing of his father, DeNiro's character's schemes a way out of prison in order to keep from being the victim of a plot to put him on ice, permanently. DeNiro fakes mental illness in order to get placed in Crystal's custody so he can get out of Sing Sing. The rest of the movie is spent with DeNiro trying to regain his status as mob while trying to figure out who attempting to bump him off. Crystal tries desperately to stay out of the way, but as you can imagine, gets hopelessly involved in DeNiro's affairs. Numerous predictable scenes (as well as copious amounts of gratuitous vulgar language) occur that seem to be part of the movie because of the lack of imagination and skill shown by the writing team.
Unfortunately the talents of two fine actors are wasted in this turkey. Both men put up a good front, but appear to be sleepwalking their way through the movie. A fine supporting cast, including an underused Lisa Kudrow and Cathy Moriarity-Gentile aren't enough to make this a memorable experience. In fact the only genuinely funny character is DeNiro's "right hand man", Jelly.
It's too bad because if you liked the first movie, you'll really go into this show with high hopes. The only good news is, at least, you'll only be out the cost of a VHS or DVD rental instead of movie ticket "sticker shock".
(unfortunately) NOT RECOMMENDED