Analyze This (1999)

Starring: Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow, Chazz Palminteri, Joe Viterelli, Molly Shannon, Aasif Mandvi, and Tony Bennett
Grade: A-

Paul hearing about Ben’s dream that placed the two in the scene from The Godfather when Vito gets shot, and Paul being perturbed that he was Fredo in the scenario, was such a great joke. It went under the radar, but it needs to be mentioned.

Summary

Mafia boss Paul Vitti (De Niro) gives us the rundown through narration to begin, talking about how big the year 1957 was. Along with Sputnik going to space, the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn, someone trying to assassinate Frank Costello and going missing, there was the Ghallo Brothers whacking Albert Anastasia, which made Vito Genovese think he was the big boss as a result. However, Carlo Gambino and Joe Bananas had other ideas and held a big meeting where the whole commission was going to meet face to face for the first time. Gangsters from New York and all over the country were coming in for it, which totaled around 50 bosses or so. They met in Apalachin, New York at Joe Barbera’s secluded farm. Paul’s father went up there with Dominic Manetta (Joseph Rigano) and Tommy D, who was also known as “Fat Tommy” and was running the family at the time. Unfortunately, the local cops were watching Barbera like a hawk. A deputy sheriff noticed all the traffic coming in and alerted the FBI. The Feds busted the place before the meeting got started, and everyone ran to escape. Paul’s father and Manetta hid out in a cornfield until a farmer drove by in a tractor. Manetta distracted the farmer, so Paul’s father could put a gun to the guy’s head. They throw the farmer off the tractor, steal it, and supposedly drove it back to Bensonhurst, though Paul’s father told Paul they only got as far as Poughkeepsie. Regardless, Carlo came out of it as “capo di tutti capi”, the boss of all bosses. It was the last time the whole commission tried to meet until now.

In the present day, Paul sits with his consigliere Manetta and expresses skepticism over this meeting because he thinks everyone should mind their own business. Manetta explains that the old meeting in 1957 was about how they were going to divide the country. This new meeting is about how they will survive. They have to change with the times because things are getting more reckless out there compared to how it used to be. Plus, they have to worry about the Russians and the Chinese. Manetta made a promise to Paul’s father that he would always look out for Paul, and he wants Paul to accompany him to that meeting. With this, Paul relents. As the two go to exit the restaurant, Manetta tells Paul to watch out for fellow boss Primo Sidone (Palminteri) because he’s a scumbag. While Paul turns back to grab a toothpick while Manetta steps outside, unknown gangsters pull a drive-by and gun down Manetta, with Paul and another guy taking cover. Elsewhere, psychiatrist Dr. Ben Sobel (Crystal) is in a session with his patient Caroline (Shannon). She talks about driving her boyfriend away after wanting to find time to figure out herself and asks Ben if she did in fact drive him away. He explains how things end and it’s a part of life. How we deal with things ending is what’s important. She still thinks there is hope for her and Steve, but Ben points out the restraining order he put out against her as not being a great sign. She wants to know what she should do, prompting Ben to imagine himself yelling at Caroline to stop pitying herself and to “get a fucking life”. He wakes up from zoning out and instead tells Caroline that she’s been bringing up some interesting things and they will both think about it going into their session next week after he gets back from vacation. Caroline starts crying and compares Ben to Steve because it’s like he wants to throw her to the side and not see her. Ben calmly details how this isn’t true because he wants to see her again and Steve never wants to see her again. After he says it, he realizes he screwed up, with her just crying more. In an abandoned warehouse, Paul is with some of his other cohorts including Jelly (Viterelli). They are beating up and interrogating a lower-level guy, and Paul threatens to beat the hell out of him with a wrench to find out who killed Manetta.

Strangely enough, Paul is just about to hit him but stops himself after the guy says he doesn’t know anything. Paul takes his word and tells the others that the guy doesn’t know anything. This confuses everyone because they were expecting more. At night, Ben is with his son Michael (Kyle Sabihy) in the car, and they are stuck in traffic on the way to a party hosted by Ben’s father Isaac (Bill Macy). Michael assumes Ben doesn’t want to go to the party because Ben is bothered by Isaac, but Ben doesn’t want to be analyzed and wants to change the subject. Messing with him, Michael brings up Isaac’s new book and how Laura (Kudrow) says Ben won’t read it because he’s jealous, which annoys Ben even more. As he talks to Michael, he drives into the back of a car. The trunk opens during the collision, and a tied-up man is seen in the trunk bound and gagged. The mobster driving gets out of the car and shuts it while Ben exits his car to apologize. Ben didn’t notice the man in the trunk because he was still talking to Michael during this part. Jelly gets out of the passenger’s seat and calms things down, taking Ben aside to talk. Ben again apologizes and insists on bringing up his insurance and the police, but Jelly says, “Fuck the police” and passes it off as no big deal. Still, Ben gives him his card in case they change their mind. Jelly takes the card and notes that he’s a shrink. They depart on good terms, but Ben does notice the muffled screaming from the trunk, which Jelly passes off as cheap gas. At the party, where Isaac is promoting his book heavily, Ben is told by his mother Dorothy (Rebecca Schull) that they can’t make Ben’s wedding because Isaac has three book signings next weekend. Ben brings up how he’s been alone for 8 years following his previous marriage and it’s important they at least meet Laura before the wedding. Dorothy departs to talk to the mayor while Isaac asks Ben what’s wrong. Ben insists there’s no issue with him or his practice. Meanwhile, Paul is with a few of his advisors, and they tell Paul that the Manetta family is starting to ask questions. They think Paul’s crew put the hit out on Dominic. The other guy argues that the hit was probably for Paul, and he barely survived. Paul thanks God for going back for that toothpick because it saved his life, but he’s visibly uncomfortable talking about it.

Still, this meeting coming up is about Primo wanting to run the whole show. The other guy argues that Primo could never come after Dominic and Paul unless he was given the green light from the other bosses. Considering the possibilities, Paul asks them to talk to Zello and Baldassare to find out what they can because they don’t want a situation where the other New York bosses are against them. They only have two weeks before the meeting. Just then, Paul’s uncomfortableness becomes more noticeable to the point where he’s sweating and losing breath. He goes outside for a breather, so Jelly goes to check on him. It looks like he’s having a heart attack, so they take him to the hospital. In the room, Paul and Jelly wait for a response. Dr. Shulman (Mandvi) brings him the good news. Though Paul thought he’s had 8 heart attacks in three weeks, Shulman says there never was a heart attack. Based off the results, Paul had an anxiety attack. Shulman talks about how it’s not a big deal and he can prescribe him Xanax, but Paul gets insulted by the diagnosis, asking Shulman if he looks like a guy who panics. Paul and Jelly start to corner Shulman. Even though Shulman explains that it’s nothing to be ashamed of, the two beat down the doctor while one of Paul’s guys shuts the blinds from the outside so no one sees it. Afterwards, Paul tells Jelly privately to get him a psychiatrist. Jelly can’t believe his luck, bringing up how he ran into one the other day, or really it was him running into Jelly. Paul wonders if he’s any good, and Jelly assumes so because he had a business card. When the two get outside, Jelly questions why he needs a shrink, but Paul lies and says it’s not him and that it’s for a friend. He just says he wants to ask the shrink some questions on his friend’s behalf. He stresses to Jelly that no one can find out he’s talking to a shrink because of what they will think about him. Jelly promises no one will ever know. Not really grasping what Paul is saying, Jelly asks if the friend he is referring to is Jelly himself. Paul sarcastically confirms. The next day, Ben is in session with Carl (Neil Pepe), a man Ben says settles too easily for things. Ben suggests it’s a fear of rejection or disapproval that makes him react like this and how he needs to be his own man and stand his ground to stop people from rolling over him.

As he says this, Jelly opens the door and forces his way in. Ben remembers him from the car accident but tells him that he can’t be in there because they are in the middle of a session. Ben tells Carl to stay and to not listen, but Jelly offers him $100 to leave and ups it to $150. Carl demands $300, takes it, and leaves. Carl sees it as standing his ground and taking Ben’s advice as Ben walks him out the door in a panic. Ben turns to Jelly and talks about how he can’t interrupt a patient’s private session, but Jelly ignores him and opens the main door for Paul to walk in. Ben stands in silence while Jelly exits the room. Ben is very aware of who Paul is, as he’s a well-known mob boss. Still, Paul tells Ben that he doesn’t know him, as a signal to not talk about this meeting and Ben agrees. After Ben confirms there are no bugs in his office and that he just takes notes, Ben apologizes profusely because he still thinks this is about the car. Finally, Paul cuts him off because he doesn’t care about the car and explains how his “friend” may need to talk to a shrink, so he has some questions for Ben. The two sit down to go over them, with Paul sitting in Ben’s chair and Ben sitting usually where the patient does. Paul isn’t sure how to start, so Ben asks why he thinks he needs therapy. Right away, Paul gets defensive and says he’s not the one who needs it. It’s for his friend and he starts to criticize Ben’s listening skills since it’s his whole job. Ben apologizes and goes along with the charade, asking Paul to tell him about his “friend”. Paul talks about how his “friend” is a powerful guy that never had trouble dealing with anything. Nevertheless, now he can’t sleep, he cries for no reason, can’t be with his friends because he gets nervous around them and wants to get away from them, and he’s starting to get these attacks where he can’t breathe and gets dizzy. Ben refers to them as “panic attacks”, which just pisses off Paul again because he refuses to admit that’s what it is. Ben takes the hint and refers to it as the description Paul gives them as “dizzy, chest breathing, constricting, attacks”. Paul just wants to know how to make it stop. Ben goes “out on a limb” and outs Paul as being the “friend”.

This gets a smile out of Paul who finally admits it, and he gives Ben praise for figuring this out, despite its obviousness. Ben tries to downplay the praise, but Paul gets serious with him again, so Ben accepts it.

Paul wants Ben to continue, so Ben starts going through the options. Medication could be one, but Paul doesn’t do drugs and refuses it. With this, Ben does suggest he go through some type of therapy. Paul wonders if it could be him, but Ben declines because his roster is full and he’s going on vacation. Paul asks where he’s going, but Ben doesn’t give up this type of information to his clients. Paul asks again with more seriousness, so Ben reveals it’s the Sheraton Bel Harbor Hotel in Miami Beach. Regardless, Paul feels like there is a load off his chest after revealing this information to Ben and gives Ben all the credit in the world for how much better he feels. Ben tries to say he didn’t really do anything, but Paul insists he did. He will be getting in touch with Ben in the future much to Ben’s chagrin. Before leaving, Paul lets him know one more thing, “If I talk to you and you turn me into a fag, I’m gonna kill you, you understand?”. Knowing the unwinnable situation he’s in, Ben agrees. Elsewhere, Primo talks to one of his guys about Paul and he’s not intimidated by Paul in the slightest. He notes that Vito failed all those years back by not killing Carlo before the first meeting, and he won’t be making the same mistake. Primo orders a hit on Paul. Back at Ben’s house, he’s packing up the car with Michael for the vacation, and Michael jokingly quotes Paul’s line of “I go fag, you die” to him because he was listening in on the session through the vent in his room. Ben demands he stop doing this, but Michael ignores it because he thinks it’s really cool that Ben talked to Paul. Even so, Ben tells Michael he won’t be treating Paul and to not tell anyone Paul was there. In Miami, Laura finishes her final broadcast for a local news station as on-air talent and tells the viewers at home that she’s getting married and moving to New York. Once she closes the show at some pool location they are shooting at, she goes over to Ben and Michael who are watching off-camera. After they greet each other, Ben signals to Michael to give them some private time, so he leaves them alone. Laura questions if Michael likes her or if Ben really loves her, and Ben confirms both, but he can sense a problem.

He asks her what’s wrong, so she admits her nervousness over the whole thing and how a lot of couples tend to get tired of each other once they are married. Ben assures her this won’t be the case for them. That night in a hotel room, Paul is cheating on his wife with his side piece Sheila (DonnaMarie Recco). In the middle of sex, she notes how it looks like he has a lot on his mind, and he confirms it. Sheila wonders if he’s thinking about his wife, and he wasn’t. Unfortunately, Sheila put the thought into his head and now he is thinking about her, and it ruins the moment. Following this, Jelly shows up in Ben’s hotel room while he’s asleep with Laura and he wakes Ben up to talk to Paul right away. They meet in the hotel lobby, and Paul flips on Ben for his advice not curing him in the five minutes they talked previously, so Ben gives it right back with how he can’t work miracles in minutes and how he doesn’t appreciate being practically kidnapped in the middle of the night. When he mentions Paul’s “bullshit”, he knows he went too far and stops there. Paul changes the subject to admit he had an issue with erectile dysfunction. Ben can’t believe he flew all the way to Florida to tell him that and suggests he take a pill for it, but Paul sees this as cheating. He wants to know if Ben will treat him, so Ben relents. He sits down with him, and they discuss the details. After some initial lying, Paul admits it has happened 8 times previously, and he can’t have this because it makes him look weak. The other guys after him can sense weakness and they’ll eat him up or kill him if he isn’t strong in two weeks. Ben questions what is happening in two weeks, but Paul can’t tell him. The problem is that Ben needs to know everything to attempt to treat him, so he sees this as Paul holding back. Ben is annoyed greatly and starts to give up. Under the circumstances, he can’t cure him in two weeks. Even if he did, he wonders if his goal is to make Paul a “happy, well-adjusted gangster”. Paul brings up how he cried at a commercial about a kid playing with puppies for 45 minutes and how he needs help, but Ben refuses to help. Paul starts to openly cry while criticizing Ben for turning his back on someone who’s suffering. He’s praying to God at this point for help because he doesn’t know what’s wrong, so Ben comes back and sits him down to talk.

Paul stops crying while giving him the details about being with his girlfriend. Ben wonders if he’s having marriage problems, but Paul says he’s not. They discuss Paul being under a lot of stress, and Paul admits this and reveals his best friend being murdered, which prompts more tears. Hearing this, Ben sees stress as the main problem. Though there are underlying issues that need to be resolved to fully treat him, Ben is sure the stress is it. Paul bypasses the other details and immediately starts praising Ben for the stress diagnosis. He wants Ben to be his shrink, but Ben doesn’t want the job because he knows Paul isn’t ready to open up yet. Paul gives him credit for his honesty, for talking to him so bluntly, and is now fully bought into Ben as his personal shrink. Ben tells Paul he is in Miami for two more days, but when he gets back to New York, he will treat Paul exclusively for two weeks. He just has to figure out what he’s going to tell his other patients. Paul offers to take them out, but Ben insists he will do it on his own. Paul points to the two women swimming in the pool in the lobby and offers one of them to Ben, but he declines to go back to his room. Upon entering his hotel room, Laura is awake and confronts him, freaking out. She woke up and started panicking once she saw Ben was gone and didn’t leave a note. She went all over the hotel looking for him and even considered calling the police. Ben calms her down and explains he had a patient emergency, with his patient following him from New York to talk. Finally, he reveals to her that it’s Paul, and she’s well aware of his exploits too. She asks if he’s treating Paul, and he says he’s not. Ben doubles down saying that they spoke about it, Paul understood, and it’s over. Laura is much calmer now and admits she thought Ben got scared and left or saw an ex-girlfriend or something, so Ben consoles her and they make up. He lets her know everything will be okay.

Unfortunately, everything will not be okay, as Ben’s fast-tracked treatment of Paul is now in full force.

My Thoughts:

To modern audiences, Robert De Niro being a straight comedy isn’t out of the ordinary, but it was in the 90s. Besides Midnight Run in 1988 and We’re No Angels in 1989, audiences very rarely saw De Niro let loose in a pure comedy film. This is why Analyze This was quite the surprise, and its success could be what gave the actor the appetite for subsequent comedies soon after like The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Meet the Parents, and the latter stage of his career. Directed by Harold Ramis and having an always funny Billy Crystal to play off of, De Niro parodies his tendency to play mafia-related characters while adding to the genre respectively, and the result is one of the better comedies of 1999. Though its ultimate legacy is hindered somewhat by coming out two months after The Sopranos began, with the main character seeking psychiatric help being a major part of it, the premise is still good enough for Analyze This to set itself apart from it and still be an entertaining crime comedy in its own right.

For fans of mafia movies, this is a really fun take on the genre but let it be known that the details of the screenplay aren’t Scorsese-like. Though it’s about the mafia, this is only the backdrop for the narrative. The innerworkings of the mob bosses of New York, the rivalry with Primo Sidone, the big meeting, the general history of all the families involved, and how it all ties to Paul Vitti is simplified for it to be digestible for mainstream audiences. However, that’s okay. It could have helped had there been more intricacies in the screenplay to develop this side of the equation, but it’s not entirely necessary for the story they want to tell. It’s used to set up the character of Paul and the gravity of the situation at hand, but after that, it’s purely about the interplay between the manly, ego-driven mafia boss who knows he has a problem but refuses to open up in the midst of the chaos and the work he still has to perform as a gangster (“This is what you’re like: I’m in pain! Please help! Okay, fuck you. Nobody helps Paul Vitti”), and the reluctant psychiatrist who by chance is chosen to treat him or pay the consequences. The seriousness and details of the mafia within the world of Analyze This would help the overall film’s legacy, but it doesn’t hurt the movie from being entertaining. Plus, going this deep was never Harold Ramis’s strong suit. Once the dynamic was established, it was time for the humor and the scenarios Ben finds himself in, and the humorous acting and chemistry between Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal matches its premise well. De Niro’s Paul is filled with endlessly quotable lines and words of wisdom delivered with such conviction that you can’t help but laugh, like his blunt delivery and double down on, “I go fag, you die. Got it? Simple” or his refusal to take pills to treat his ED with “A hard-on should be gotten legitimately or shouldn’t be gotten at all”, which belongs on a bumper sticker. He’s filled with gems and his annoyed responses to everyone and everything, along with his intimidation tactics with lesser characters, are funny and at times, hysterical. A great example of this is the hilarious dialogue exchange where Ben tries to explain the intricacies of Oedipus to him.

He goes on about how the Greek king killed his father and married his mother to which Paul immediately responds with an eye roll and the line, “Fucking Greeks”. Ben tries to explain himself further as to why he got there, but Paul immediately starts flipping out at the idea (“Are you saying I want to fuck my mother? Have you ever seen my mother?”) before leaving. It’s superbly acted and genuinely funny, but what works is the accuracy of the writing, as a lot of Paul’s dialogue and his character arc isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Sticking an authentic, high-ranking mob boss in a scenario like this would yield similar results, and the film doesn’t shy away from the honest Paul’s antics. This is why some harsher jokes are made, as it does align with a personality like this. The screenplay plays with it a lot and it works well in the context of the film. It’s like when Paul justifies cheating on his wife by talking about how he does stuff with Sheila that he can’t do with his wife because “That’s the mouth she kisses my kids with! Are you crazy?”. It’s this twisted logic Paul has that actually makes sense to the audience. We know he’s a gangster and a killer, and Ben is the normal person between the two, but Paul’s mafia-like perspective on things is unique and refreshing because of how raw and unapologetic he is as a person. These lines are magnified comedically too due to Billy Crystal’s incredible timing and wit unmatched by very few of his peers. Crystal nails it. He has the look of a psychiatrist, he creates a new character and adheres to what’s written without sacrificing his comedic style, and his well-adjusted performance that has him freaking out in one scene while trying to argue with a man that could kill him at any given moment is thoroughly entertaining, albeit with unrealized potential in the grand scheme of things. His work as a psychiatrist is just as simplified for the viewer as the mob stuff, but again, it’s just enough to keep the story going. They don’t shoot for the moon or anything with the screenplay. They just set things up and let the actors play it out, and it works. Though Crystal and Lisa Kudrow are a mismatched couple that seemed more unbelievable than most of the elements of the story, the added subplot of Ben trying to remarry in the middle of all this is a funny way to complicate his life further. No one does misery as funny as Crystal.

The tension between Ben and Paul, with Ben not sure when he’s going too far with his comments because he’s not sure what Paul will take the wrong way, is gold. It works both ways too, as Paul, in his own way, isn’t sure when he is going too far either and apologizes like only a gangster can, like buying and placing a gigantic fountain in Ben’s yard following the fiasco at the first wedding attempt or telling him he’s getting a Rolex after seeing Ben’s watch. By the way, the scene following the attempt on Paul’s life by one of Primo’s guys was all-around hilarious. Following Laura’s exit, Ben tells Paul their working relationship is over, and Paul is genuinely surprised asking, “Just because of this?”. Ben, going full Billy Crystal, responds, “This little double homicide? Yes because of this!”. If you’re a fan of Billy Crystal, you probably read that quote in his voice too. Anyway, seeing how upset Ben is over the whole thing, Paul takes a step back because he still wants Ben’s help and asks him what he wants from him. Though it’s outrageous from a realism standpoint, Ben suggests the amusing idea of Paul calling Primo to express his feelings of anger and wanting some type of closure. He walks Paul through the phone call and what to say as he says it, but Primo denies knowing about the assassination attempt and is generally confused over Paul’s words before telling him “Fuck you”. It leads to De Niro going full De Niro by cussing out Primo on the phone and it’s hilarious. Capping off the scene is Ben suggesting he hit a pillow to let out his anger, but Paul shoots the pillow several times over before stating, “There’s your fucking pillow!”. His calm response after Ben asks if he feels better with, “Yeah, I do”, was legitimately hilarious. Again, this was an all-around great scene and one in which you’d want to show to someone to convince them to watch Analyze This. Well, there’s that, the funeral gag (“Him I don’t know”), and the climax where Ben has to go to the big meeting and act as if he’s Paul’s consigliere, Ben Sobel-leone (“…Benny the Groin, Sammy the Schnoz, Elmer the Fudd, Tubby the Tuba, and once as Miss Phyillis Levine, but that was at a party. It was years ago I smoked a little, took a quaalude, and I’m in fishnets singing show tunes. These things happen, but that has nothing to do with being here with you fine gentlemen here today”).

The two leads have a full understanding of their roles, never step too far into a direction they aren’t comfortable with or haven’t had success in before, and they don’t step on each other’s moments either. They work as a team to make it look like they are adversarial, and it’s well acted, timed, executed, and though it’s a safe comedy that doesn’t push the boundaries of its premise, it’s still consistently amusing. It’s a lot like Mickey Blue Eyes but better, which came out the same year and also included Joe Viterelli, a show-stealer in both movies. In Analyze This, he shows off his comedic chops and an ability to maintain a presence as the heavy for Paul but still be a goodhearted goofball at the same time. The most underrated part of the film is Viterelli’s balance between the two stars and the character’s understanding of both men, along with his comic delivery getting a laugh virtually every time he speaks. Just him overhearing Paul’s “black milk” dream and saying from how afar how weird it is was amusing. His inability to understand Paul’s subtle signals were funny as hell too, solidifying his role as a “fucking moron” by his own admittance. At one point, Paul gets frustrated and questions if he has to spell everything out for him, and the innocent Jelly simply says, “Well, it saves time”. He’s a very likable character and is the surprise of the movie. We’re not too surprised over De Niro and Crystal being great, but Viterelli being the show-stealer was (“I think he left a note. Jelly, did they find that note?” – “No, but they will in a minute”).

Though it didn’t affect the film much, I loved Paul telling Ben’s smug father-in-law, who has the audacity to want to be referred to as “Captain”, to look the other way before he busts his fucking head open. Something about that was so satisfying. Going along with this, I loved the subtle scene of Paul coming to his senses with his son asking him how long he’s going to lay there. It’s just that simple exchange that is enough to put a smile on Paul’s face and inspire him to move on. It’s a great way to show screenwriters that they don’t have to overdo dialogue to make a moment. Sometimes, letting the actors act can make a scene or a moment mean everything.

On a side note, Chazz Palminteri deadpanning to his confidant, “You get a dictionary and find out what this “Closure” is. If that’s what he’s gonna hit us with, I wanna know what it is” was gold. Palminteri is an underutilized actor, so it was great to see him in such a role to strengthen the supporting cast and have a little fun with his onscreen persona and his penchant for playing gangster roles like De Niro by playing the antagonist Primo Sidone, also known as “Sonny Long, Mikey Gaga, and Joey Boombatz”. Watching him flip out as Ben tries to analyze him while acting like Paul’s consigliere, winning over the other bosses after he calls Primo out for being overly angry all the time so people will listen to him, and how his constant bringing up of Paul is if Primo doesn’t feel important enough for himself to be the topic of discussion, was a great way to make Ben’s character work in this scenario, Ben’s confidence as he settles into his fake role of consigliere, and Primo’s personality all in one. In addition, it was just a funny way to waste time before Paul got there. Lisa Kudrow’s performance is underwhelming, and her lack of understanding of the unwinnable situation Ben is in comes off as annoying rather than funny. It’s understandable that she cancelled the ceremony in Miami after Jelly threw the hitman off a balcony to his death in front of everyone there, but her acting like it’s Ben’s fault when he’s helping Paul out of fear for his life is frustrating. Then, she has these overdramatic moments like telling Ben that she wants to marry him but doesn’t think it will ever happen. It’s just unfair and illogical. The character is more selfish than the writers intended. She knows Ben is treating a famous member of the mafia, so why is she acting like Ben can just walk away and focus on her? It’s only a two-week period he’s treating Paul! She can’t wait that long? There are literally no other issues between them from a relationship standpoint. This strife is purely because she’s inpatient and neurotic. I suppose if she was given more to do comedically, it may have worked.

Nevertheless, as it stands, her anger towards Ben is misdirected and makes the character less likable than actual mobsters. That shouldn’t happen. The dynamic of Laura and Michael doesn’t really go anywhere either. It’s brought up a few times that they have trouble connecting and it’s used humorously where Michael just tells her straight up that he’s pretending to have fun at the Seaqaurium for her benefit (“You guys are pretending to have fun and I don’t want to spoil it”), but it’s an insignificant detail that leads to nothing. Again, this is the recurring theme of Analyze This, using these broader ideas to make up the bare bones of the plot to set up the rest of the story. The finer details in making this a more complete and developed screenplay aren’t as important. It doesn’t affect the movie’s watchability, but it cuts off its potential and longevity at the knees. The humor is still great though, and the film’s biggest attribute is its use of recurring gags. The use of “Did you talk to the guy?”, the vague descriptions of events talking about the “first thing or the second thing”, or gangsters saying something crazy about someone who passed and adding “May they rest in peace”, which Ben hilariously uses to describe the plot of Alien to a bunch of confused mobsters in the climax, were all fantastic. However, they all pale in comparison to De Niro’s delivery of “You!” when acknowledging Ben nailing something on the head. It’s funny every single time, and they don’t forget to bring it back in the sequel Analyze That. The pointing beforehand, the mischievous smile of De Niro right before he says it, and him saying it over and over again while Ben downplays his comments are consistently laugh-inducing. It becomes the film’s signature while simultaneously being the go-to way for a regular person to attempt a Robert De Niro impression.

That’s not nothing people!

Analyze This does lose some steam in the ending, and the conflict resolution regarding Paul’s relationship with his father was too simple for its own good, but its heart is in the right place. Its shift from mafia screwball film to a “corrective emotional experience” is much sweeter than one would expect from an R-rated comedy to the point where one could argue its potential as a fun date night movie. It may not go as far as you’d want or expect considering the fun premise and talent involved, but the funny and convincing mismatched team of Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal make the experience worth it. As far as mafia movies go, it’s harmless, but it’s entertaining as hell.