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Analyze This

Analyze This

List Price: $12.97
Your Price: $10.38
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Very Funny....for a While
Review: ANALYZE THIS (1999) * * 1/2 There are a lot of big laughs and great lines in the first 45 minutes or so, but then it all starts to crumble in the second half when Billy Crystal's character starts to behave unbelievably ( he appears at a meeting of a group of family heads and isn't even scared..he does schtick). DeNiro is "very, very good" (although he could probably play this role in his sleep). Supporting cast is full of actors who have made a living appearing in Mafia movies.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: DVD with nice features
Review: ANALYZE THIS is a nicely put together DVD. It is a two-sided disc with widescreen format on one side and TV format on the other, and it includes such goodies as two commentary tracks featuring director Harold Ramis on one, and Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro on another (although the two were not recorded together, and their comments are intercut).

If you like watching the commentary tracks on DVD (my family does), then you might be slightly disappointed with these commentary tracks, as there are large gaps of silence in both tracks. It was also disappointing to listen to the Billy Crystal/Robert DeNiro track since a)the two actors weren't together; b)DeNiro wasn't watching the film and they just used pieces of an interview for his commentary; c)Billy Crystal was funny for five minutes, but when he couldn't think of anything funny to say, he didn't say anything, and he just ended up gushing about how thrilled and awed he was to work with DeNiro.

Commentary tracks aside, this DVD is worth renting or buying, especially if you really enjoyed the movie. ANALYZE THIS is an inventive comedy about the mafia, and it is definitely one of the funniest movies of 1999. The funny script and outstanding ensemble (Crystal, DeNiro, Joe Vitterelli, Chazz Palminteri and others) make it an especially enjoyable comedy. The DVD special features are just icing on the cake.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Terrifically funny and smart
Review: Basically, "Analyze This" is a one-line gag flick ('hey, did you hear the one about the mafia kingpin who went to a shrink?'), but funny and very GOOD performances from Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal really make this film hang together.

In particular, DeNiro is a hoot as Paul Vitti, a mafia don who's struggling with some internal angst. He's entirely believable as both the tough-talking, boastful, powerful don AND as the person who's struggling with some emotional problems. The internal struggle between these two sides of his character are beautifully played out by DeNiro. In Vitti's first session with Dr. Sobel (Crystal), we see DeNiro go seamlessly from needy patient to laughing wiseguy to frightening don...all in the space of about two minutes. Brilliant stuff.

Crystal is, as always, funny as Dr. Sobel, a shrink who at first takes Vitti as a "patient he can't refuse", then actually risks his life to treat him. The high point of Crystal's performance is a very funny scene in which he dons a shiny silver suit and does a dead-on imitation of a wiseguy (complete with lines like "you know...that THING" that are straight out of 'Goodfellas').

If "Analyze This" has a major flaw, it's a staged confrontation at the end of the movie between Vitti and his rival mobsters, which ends in Vitti declaring publicly that he's leaving the mob. In real life, he'd make it about as far as the door.

And the relationship between Crystal and his fiancee (Lisa Kudrow) is more than a little strained and unrealistic; what girl would put up with having her wedding day interrupted not just once, but twice, by gangsters (once by a murder)?

Flaws aside, "Analyze This" is a very funny movie, but any fan of mob flicks (me! me!) will be especially delighted.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: a decent film
Review: Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) a gangster, hires a shrink Ben Sobol, (Billy Crystal )to help him with his panic attacks, which on a number of occasions have caused him problems in bed. Mr. Sobol isn't all that enthusiastic about helping Mr. Vitti ,considering his line of work, but then Mr. Vitti makes Sobol one of those offers he can't refuse... if he wants to live. Sobol's personal life becomes a living hell when he is put on call by Vitti, begins being watched by the feds and has his marriage ceremony interrupted by a murder. This movie gives you an idea of what the mob is really like ,and if you put yourself in Mr. Sobol's shoes, you can feel the fear he is feeling while associating with ruthless gangsters. This movie, while it's supposed to be a comedy, has some rather touching moments, as Mr. Vitti thinks back to the time of his fathers death. Mr. Sobol gets so involved with the mobsters that he begins acting like one.This movie has drama suspense action and good comedy.It also has a terrific performance by Lisa Kudrow who plays Ben Sobol's fiance'. Is there a happy ending to this story? I won't tell, you'll need to get the movie and see for yourself. I won't give this movie 5 stars because I was lead to believe it was a comedy. and true comedies don't have serious drama. Still, it is a great film to see. there's one other thing that makes this film terrific, a closing song by singer Tony Bennet ! Get this movie today !

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's comedy
Review: Billy Crystal is hilarious. However, Robert Deniro's fake crying was awful. There are a couple scenes where he had to do it and he did a terrible job every time. I've seen better cry acting on a "Facts of Life" episode. Other than that, this is a highly entertaining movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not bad, not great...
Review: Just your average comedy here, nothing that will change the face of cinema. Its good for some laughs, it was particularly amusing to see DeNiro crying like a baby and telling his doctor (Crystal) that he couldn't get it up. The plot was at least watchable, though I was let down by the ending. All in all it's ok, doubt I'd watch it more than once.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: BEEN THERE -- DONE THAT -- LAUGHED MORE!
Review: It's like de-ja-vu all over again. After watching "Analyze This," I had a strong sense that I'd been there before. No, not from HBO's "Sopranos" -- but from yet another film with the exact same (Mob-boss- sees-shrink) premise.

Several months ago, to my unexpected delight, I caught a film on Showtime called, "The Don's Analyst" starring Kevin Pollak & Robert Loggia.

Pollak (as the pyschaitrist) was never funnier on film (much more likable than the smug, mugging Billy Crystal) and Loggia was vastly more believable as the depressed Don then DeNiro.

His comic performance here was as memorable as his dance number with Tom Hanks in, "Big." He nailed the nuances like Nicholson nailed them in "Prizzi's Honor."

The film had that special magic ensemble quality with all the polish and panache of, "Moonstruck" (one of my all time favorites).

The sexy Sherilyn Fenn lit up the screen and the always funny Joe Bologna was in rare form.

Overall, I found, "The Don's Analyst" to be a funnier, smarter film with much more "heart." It resonated with me longer than these others who have mined the same comic vein.

Was this a little known independent that's now running on cable -- or a original cable movie that I never heard of?

Either way it speaks volumes about how sometimes big things come in small (hard-to-find) packages.

Here's one for the all underdogs. A small film that without all the hoopla, did it first -- and much better than the big boys.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "You...you're good...yes, you ARE!"
Review: Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal square off in "Analyze This," a satirical look at "family" life from director Harold Ramis. After witnessing a hit on a colleague outside a restaurant (and narrowly escaping the same fate himself, thanks to the need of a toothpick), mob boss Paul Vitti (De Niro) finds himself overcome with panic attacks. He sweats, cries at the drop of a hat, and can't breathe. With a vital meeting only two weeks away, he realizes he needs help, quickly, and sends one of his men, Jelly (Joe Viterelli), in search of a "shrink." Coincidentally, Jelly has just been rear-ended in traffic by Dr. Ben Sobol (Crystal), who just happens to be a psychiatrist. And Jelly has his business card. Unable to discourage the adamant Vitti, Sobol acquiesces and agrees to treat him exclusively for two weeks, though he is less than enthusiastic about being pressed into the service of a well-known criminal; even less enthused, however, is his fiancee, Laura (Lisa Kudrow). The ensuing repartee between Vitti and Sobol, served up with snappy dialogue and impeccable timing, takes this comedy, artistically and otherwise, to the highest level. De Niro and Crystal are absolutely outstanding, infusing their characters with every possible nuance, while successfully avoiding the stereotypes that lesser actors may have relied upon here. The two play so well off of one another that the humor virtually seems to explode spontaneously. All the while, the likable Kudrow more than holds her own with her co-stars, proving, unequivocally, that there is so much more to her than just being a great "Friend." Credit must go to Ramis, as well, for keeping things on an even keel throughout. There's funny scenes aplenty in this film, especially the ones in which the loyal but somewhat thick-headed thug, Jelly, or the winsome Laura take part. The most memorable, though, is one in which Dr. Sobol dreams that he is Don Vito Corleone in the movie "The Godfather," when he is shot while buying some fruit. This is parody at its finest. Written by Ramis, Ken Lonergan and Peter Tolan, and with a supporting cast that includes Chazz Palminteri (Primo), Richard C. Castellano (Jimmy), Kyle Sabihy (Ben's son, Michael) , Molly Shannon (Caroline) and Elizabeth Bracco (Marie Vitti), "Analyze This" will keep you laughing and "doing lines" ("You...you're good, yes, you are...yes, you are!") long after the credits have faded from the screen.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Analyze This
Review: Overall, a great comedy. I didn't notice any bad acting, and it ended OK. Worth seeing. Not the best ever though.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Making fun of The Mob
Review: This movie was good because DeNiro was funnier than Crystal in his role as a mob boss suffering from stress. The actors had good chemistry and really played off each other well. The movie had some really funny scenes in the beginning but trailed off near the end. Not a bad family movies if not for the language. Worth the price.


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