THE AISLE SEAT - "ANALYZE THIS"
by Mike McGranaghan
Imagine what would happen if John Gotti went to see Dr. Frasier Crane and you'll get an idea of what Analyze This is like. Robert DeNiro stars as Paul Vitti, a mafioso with emotional problems. He can no longer bring himself to whack his enemies, he can't perform with his girlfriend, and he cries at sentimental television commercials. Unable to perform his mob duties with the appropriate amount of toughness, he decides he needs professional help. He confides in his right-hand man, who coincidentally was involved in a minor traffic accident with psychiatrist Ben Sobol (Billy Crystal). Using this connection, Vitti storms into Sobol's office one day with an offer the psychiatrist can't refuse: Treat me or else.
The comic possibilities of this situation are already overflowing, but there's even more. Sobol doesn't want to get dragged into the mob underworld. Instead, he just wants to marry his fiancee (Lisa Kudrow). When they escape to Florida for the wedding, Vitti shows up, demanding to be seen. And he keeps showing up, again and again. As the mafia not-so-subtlely infiltrates its way into the psychiatrist's life, he finds himself in need of some help of his own.
I'm not one to go for hyperbole, but Analyze This is the funniest movie I've seen since There's Something About Mary. I've become fed up with the Adam Sandler/David Spade style of doofus comedy, and overly sentimental "heartfelt" comedies (the kind that Crystal himself has fallen victim to in recent years). When I walk into a comedy, I want something that's fresh and original and not afraid to make me laugh.
Analyze This is that kind of film. It does a brilliant job of mixing the gruesome brutality of the mafia with the humdrum reality of Sobol's job (the psychiatrist himself imagines the things he'd like to say to his patients but can't). Part of what makes the humor funny is that director Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day) doesn't downplay the danger of getting tangled up with the mob. When Sobol comes to believe that there might be a "hit" out on him, it leads to scenes of paranoid hilarity. It is perversely funny to watch this mild-mannered psychiatrist try to squirm his way out of the situation.
I also liked how the story weaves mob cliches into the story to great comic effect. For example, in one scene (widely shown in the film's preview), a thug is thrown off the roof of a building as Sobol and his fiancee get married in the foreground. There's also a great scene near the end where Crystal gets to riff on every broad godfather characterization you've ever seen. The biggest laugh for me by far, though, came when Sobol tries to ignore Vitti's henchmen at an aquarium (they prove to be very persuasive in getting Sobol to do what they want).
Academy Awards are not given for casting, but if they were, one should go to the genius who had the idea of casting Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal together. Both men are smart enough to play the material straight; neither one ever gives you the impression that they're in on the joke. DeNiro jumps into his part with as much believability as he brought to many of his classic roles. When Vitti breaks down crying at an insurance commercial, DeNiro keeps it hysterically real instead of mugging for the camera. And Crystal is back in fine form after a series of duds like Father's Day and City Slickers 2. He has always been one of the funniest guys around, but so many times he gives in to maudlin sappiness; he wants his movies to make you feel something. This time around, Crystal is content to just be funny, and it works.
Analyze This builds and builds its comic momentum, which peaks during a mob "summit" of all the family heads. Only in the final moments does it seem to run out of steam, but that's no major problem. There are many big laughs in the picture, as well as two terrifically funny performances from Crystal and DeNiro. Analyze This is an enormously appealing comedy.
(
1/2 out of four)
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