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All-Reviews.com Movie/Video Review
Analyze That
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  out of 4
Review by Susan Granger
3½ stars out of 4
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It's like Christmas coming early with the rib-tickling comedy sequel
that we've all been waiting for. Since "Analyze This" (1999), insecure,
imprisoned mob boss Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) has been having a tough time
staying alive at Sing-Sing. Someone keeps sending hitmen to kill him. It's
stressful enough to cause more than just anxiety attacks, prompting Vitti to
burst into songs from "West Side Story" or go catatonic, so his former
psychotherapist, Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal), is summoned. But it's a bad time for
Sobel. His father has just died and he's going through a conflicted identity
crisis as part of the grief process. Nevertheless, the Justice Dept. insists on
releasing the seemingly-psychotic Vitti into Sobel's custody, over the protests
of his irate wife (Lisa Kudrow) who fears for the sanctity of their home and
Ben's teenage son. Reluctantly, Sobel takes Vitti into his suburban New Jersey
house to try to help the gangster sort out his psyche and find a legitimate job
- which isn't easy for a notorious Mafia don with his loyal bodyguard Jelly (Joe
Viterelli) at his side. Could he be a car salesman? Maitre'd? Jeweler? ("You
know they take taxes out of your check," Vitti growls. "What the hell is
that?!") Finally, he's recruited as 'technical advisor' on "Little Caesar" a
"Sopranos"-esque TV show that stars Australian actor Anthony La Paglia as a mob
boss. Written by Peter Steinfeld, Peter Tolan and Harold Ramis, who also
directed, the storyline revolves around the psychological redemption of the
anti-social personality, but the bottom line is the laughter ignited by Vitti's
inappropriate, rude behavior. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Analyze
That" is a gleefully hilarious 8. Proving that good bad-guys can win - it's one
of the funniest films of the year!
Copyright © 2002 Susan Granger
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