Analyze That -Thoughts and Reviews-

[dh1989]

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Plot: As the movie opens, mobster Paul Vitti (DeNiro) is in prison(where they monitor his phone calls), with the story then following what happens as he's let out. Undoubtedly, he'll be needing to see his analyst, Doctor Ben Sobel (Crystal), but what may surprise him is that now, Sobel is the one who needs an analyst, as the stress of taking over the family practice following the death of his father bears down on him. Meanwhile, Paul, who is living at the Sobel residence, which Ben's wife(Kudrow) is not happy about, tries to adjust to non-mafia life, eventually taking a job as a consultant on a TV sitcom about... the mafia, much like The Sopranos.

Is anyone else excited for this film? I thought the teaser trailer was hilarious and the final trailer, attached to Die Another Day, was no different. I think Billy Crystal is really funny and Bob DeNiro is one of the greats. I think this one has a lot of potential and I am pretty sure it'll deliver.

http://us.ent4.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/warner_brothers/analyze_that/_group_photos/billy_crystal14.jpg

I hope the 12 days left until release goes fast because this film could be the funniest of the year.

[FeverDog420]

I received in the mail today passes for an advanced screening on December 4. I wasn't the biggest fan of Analyze This, but, hey, who turns down a free movie?

[Mike]

Originally posted by dh1989
I hope the 12 days left until release goes fast because this film could be the funniest of the year.

Actually, doesn't it open on December 6th? If I'm correct then that would be 14 days...

Oh well, anyway, I don't plan on seeing it. I like Lisa Kudrow but I never saw the first one because I didn't think it looked that good and my cousin said it wasn't very funny. Since I didn't see the first one and don't want to I doubt I'll see the sequel either...

[The Other]

Mike, I really didn't like the first one either. It wasn't very funny or entertaining. I'd probably rate it a 5/10. I'm skipping this one. I MIGHT see it sometime...I dunno.

[blankpage]

This film looks really funny. I haven't yet seen the original so I will be sure to check it out soon. The teaser trailer was really fucking funny.

[dh1989]

Originally posted by Mike
Actually, doesn't it open on December 6th? If I'm correct then that would be 14 days...



Oh I thought it was 12/4. My mistake. :)

[Eliar Swiftfire]

Not a lot of Analyze This fans here.

[Mike]

Originally posted by dh1989
Oh I thought it was 12/4. My mistake. :)

That's fine, I was just thinking maybe I was wrong and it opened on Wednesday December 4th or something...

[Strider]

I haven't seen Analyze This, so therefore, I am unsure if I will see the sequel, or not. Still, I am interested in both films, I'm a fan of Ramis' work.

Strider

[Moviefan1234]

Originally posted by Eliar Swiftfire
Not a lot of Analyze This fans here.

I haven't even seen it, so I can't pass judgement on it. Though I will say I'm not big on comedies.

[Jason]

I didn't care for Analyze This too much but Analyze That actually seems funnier than the first. I haven't been a huge fan of Robert DeNiro since becoming the "comedy king" with one exception, Meet the Parents. I didn't care for Showtime or Analyze This and I hope that DeNiro considers more serious roles because he is a funny guy but also a very good actor who can show his work in other genres as well. Anyone agree?

[Moviefan1234]

I agree, I want him to get back to his dramas and more serious movies.

[Nate6]

I didn't really like Analyze This either, I'd give it maybe a 5/10 or at the most a 6/10, but I may see this eventually. When's De Niro going to get back to the good stuff?

[sleekproductions]

The first one is one of my favorite comedies. A film of sheer brilliance. Bring on the sequel...

[Dude]

Analyze This is a VERY FUNNY film. Being part Italian, and knowing/using certain mannerisms that I and my family use are what make this film very likable to my "family". ;) SOLID 8/10

[idealdiscountdude]

I really enjoyed Analyze This (B+), as I must say that I am looking forward to Analyze That.

The trailers are amusing, and the great threesome of DeNiro, Crystal, and the hilarious Lisa Kudrow alone is enough to get me to the cinemas to see it.

[Tom Samborski]

This looks very funny. I love that line by De Niro: "I'm gonna stick this fork in your freakin' eye".

[Narst]

I actually managed to see Analyze That in an advanced screening about a month ago. It was good but not great. Nowhere near as good as the first one, it doesn't have as many of the huge laughs and to be honest the story here is pretty weak. It also has a petty anti-climactic ending which leaves you wanting more. Overall it's worth seeing but if you didn't like the first one you probably wont like the sequel. Although it does have the funniest outtakes since Rush Hour 2.

[notchreturns]

It's Deniro, so I'll be there...

[max]

I want him to get back to his dramas and more serious movies.

He did. Didn't you see CITY BY THE SEA? He was terrific in it, but did anybody care? The movie fared poorly at the box-office. Anyway, ANALYZE THIS was hilarious and I get the chance to see ANALYZE THAT at a sneak preview on Dec. 2.

Also, for those who don't know yet, De Niro's hosting Saturday Night Live on Dec.7, a day after the movie opens.

[dh1989]

Originally posted by max
Also, for those who don't know yet, De Niro's hosting Saturday Night Live on Dec.7, a day after the movie opens.

Really?! That should be very funny. DeNiro, while a wonderful dramatic thespian, is also a very hilarious thespian.

[Rated R]

I want to see Analyze That eventually...probably on video.
And about his loss of dramatic roles? Check out the synopsis' of two of his upcoming films Chaos with Benicio Del Toro and Godsend with Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos.


Plus, to see De Niro host SNL, oh boy oh boy oh boy, I am so excited. I missed it the last time it happened and I never thought it would happen again. Anyone know who the musical guest is?

Analyze That...I will

[Tom Samborski]

The musical guest is Norah Jones. And you didn't miss anything, De Niro has never hosted SNL before.

[Rated R]

Didn't he a few years back? Oh man I must be crazy. He appeared on an episode during a skit of the Joe Pesci Show maybe...ahh hell I don't even know anymore.

[max]

Didn't he a few years back? Oh man I must be crazy. He appeared on an episode during a skit of the Joe Pesci Show maybe...ahh hell I don't even know anymore.

Don't worry, you're not confused. I also do remember it being advertised a few years back but it never happened.

[dh1989]

I am seeing this film tommorow at a free screening, I will tell you all if it is any good.

[blankpage]

Cool, Have fun Dh. Did anyone catch the interview with DeNiro and Crystal on ET? It was good, De Niro seemed shy. But he tends to be like that in many interviews.

The clip with De Niro signning looks really funny.

[dh1989]

http://us.ent4.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/warner_brothers/analyze_that/_group_photos/billy_crystal7.jpg

Rating: 8/10

Let me tell you schmoes that this film is a big winner. The film is hilarious. Its one of those movies that just makes you laugh hysterically through the whole running time. Robert DeNiro is wonderful. His singing scenes are great, and when he trys to get a legit job...PRICELESS! The guy defines cool in this film. Billy Crystal steals the show. Very funny. He was brilliant in the sushi restraunt. Lisa Kudrow is underwritten, but still good. She is funny in her few scenes with Crystal. Some of the highlight gags are DeNiro's Black and white nightmare sequence, Crystal reacting to taking tons of pills, and the big gold heist near the end. I don't want to say anymore, but you all should check this flick out for a fun time at the theatre. The whole movie is LOL funny. :D

P.S. I was not a fan of the first film. I'd give it a 6/10, it had some great parts, but overall was weak and nothing special. This one improved on it.... A LOT!

[max]

dh1989 - Glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I'll be looking forward to the sneak preview tonight

[idealdiscountdude]

Great review dh!!!!

I loved Analyze This, so I'm hoping that like you, I'll find Analyze That to be even better than its predecessor.

[max]

The best way to enjoy a sequel is to accept it for what it is - a reunion with old friends. So if you loved ANALYZE THIS, you should look forward to seeing ANALYZE THAT.

In some ways, ANALYZE THAT improves on the original. Robert de Niro has become a much more relaxed comic performer and he busts loose here with raging results: he's nastier and funnier. So is Billy Crystal. Working with De Niro must've taught him a thing or two about acting. He's less shticky and there are flickers of real emotion in his performance. The movie explodes with hilarity when the two of them are together on screen.

Sequel is as sequel does, however. Character development is almost non-existent (we don't want our friends to change, do we?). Jokes are recycled to less effect. The plot merely exists for the jokes. New characters are added but kept mostly out of the way. Too bad for Cathy Moriarty and Anthony LaPaglia. The movie fails to explore the comic potential in both their characters. Also, the movie feels rushed, as if the filmmakers decided to save scenes for the DVD release (the outtakes at the end are some of the film's funniest). Still ANALYZE THAT delivers. It has big laughs and the comic pairing of De Niro and Crystal is consistently amusing.

Critics who hate the idea of sequels are bound to analyze ANALYZE THAT to death. They're going to try their best not to laugh because it's against their code of ethics or something. And if they do laugh, they're not going to admit it or dismiss it as nothing more than a mental lapse. I have two words for them: Anal-ize this!

[idealdiscountdude]

Bump!

[idealdiscountdude]

Ouch! Analyze That has been receiving many negative to mixed reviews. So far it has only a 23% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

[XCoRyX]

i dont have any plans on spending money on this one....i wasnt too big on the first one,and i find it overrated....i remember my mom was going to go see analyze this with her boyfriend,and let me ad my friend see the rage:carrie 2,but we couldnt get in unless they were there....so we had to watch it with them,we wound up walking around the cinema looking at posters and talking.

[max]

Ouch! Analyze That has been receiving many negative to mixed reviews. So far it has only a 23% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

It's now 29%. ;) Analyze this: SOLARIS. Here's a critically praised movie that got a solid F from Cinemascore. I'm one of those who hated, hated, hated, hated, hated the movie. Slow, humorless and emotionally arid, SOLARIS makes Tarkovsky's painfully dull original look like a Jerry Bruckheimer/Michael Bay actioner. The critical bashing of ANALYZE THAT illustrates once more how out of touch professional critics are with the general audience (or are they just out of touch with themselves?). I've seen ANALYZE THAT twice and both times the sneak preview audience I was with gleefully responded. I believe critics nowadays refuse to be entertained. They're more concerned about entertaining themselves. They don't react to movies, they second-guess. They don't trust movies that appeal to mass audiences because they think they're smarter than everyone else. They hate the very idea of a sequel because the self-loathing continues. ANALYZE THAT is far from perfect. It could be better, it could be worse. But it is what it is, and it isn't bad. It's a silly, funny, enjoyable romp. Critics should accept it for what is, not what they think it should be. But first they have to learn to accept themselves for what they are - just like everyone else.

[Scarface98.9]

Here's Eberts review, and he brings up some interesting points, which reminds me of my complaints about Men in Black 2 which could be the same with Analyze That.

The success of "Analyze This" (1999) made "Analyze That" inevitable, but was it necessary? What seemed like a clever idea the first time feels like a retread the second, as mob boss Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) goes back into therapy with Dr. Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal). The first film more or less exhausted the possibilities of this idea, as the second one illustrates.

"Analyze This" was never more than a sitcom, but the casting gave it an aura. De Niro as a neurotic mobster was a funny idea, and Crystal as a shrink was good casting because of his ability to seem smart even during panic attacks. Lisa Kudrow, then the shrink's girlfriend, now his wife, has a nice off-balance disbelieving way with dialogue that plays against Crystal instead of merely out-shouting him, and there was also the mammoth presence of Joe Viterelli, as Jelly, the boss' loyal chauffeur and sidekick.

All of that worked the first time, and it kind of works, sometimes, in the second film. But the story has the ring of contrivance. If the first film seemed to flow naturally from the premise, this one seems to slink uneasily onto the screen, aware that it feels exactly like a facile, superficial recycling job.

As the film opens, Sobel is attending his father's funeral, but takes a cell call from Sing Sing, right there in the front row at temple. Turns out Vitti has turned goofy and does nothing all day but sing songs from "West Side Story." Is he crazy, or faking it? Whether he's faking it or not, he knows all the words. He gets no less goofy after he's released into the custody of Sobel and his wife Laura (Kudrow), and placed under their supervision--in their home. Laura hates this idea, but the FBI insists on it: Vitti's good behavior is Sobel's responsibility.

The film then descends into an unconvincing, contrived heist subplot, with Sobel linked with the robbers. And Cathy Moriarty (De Niro's wife in "Raging Bull") turns up as the head of a rival gang, in a rivalry that never seems anything more than the excuse for some routine mob-war threat routines. Harold Ramis, who directed and co-wrote (as he did with the first film) is a gifted filmmaker, the author of many great laughs in the movies, but he should reflect that there is a reason most sequels are not directed by the same men who made the originals: A movie that inspires a sequel, if it is any good, incorporates qualities that cannot be duplicated.

What we get in "Analyze That" are several talented actors delivering their familiar screen personas in the service of an idiotic plot. There is undeniable pleasure to be had in hearing De Niro say, yet once again, "You're good. No! You're good!" to Crystal, and watching De Niro use that beatific smile as if his character is saintly to bestow such praise (a compliment from De Niro is somewhat like being knighted). And Crystal, in this character as in life, is able to suggest that his mind runs so rapidly it spits out the truth before his better judgment can advise him. Kudrow, sadly underused here, plays not the wife who doesn't understand, but the wife who understands all too well.

There is also the question of Joe Viterelli as Jelly. Writing about his work in the first movie, I saw him playing not just a mobster, but "an older man who is weary after many years in service, but loyal and patient with his weirdo boss." The sad thing about "Analyze That" is that Viterelli is invited back but not made to feel welcome at the party. We miss the sense that De Niro counts on him, that he comes as part of the package. Now De Niro's focus is on Crystal. And if Vitti and Sobel are a double act, the point of the movie is missing.

[blankpage]

I am surprised on some of the negative feedback the film is getting. Never the less I should be seeing it tomorrow night. I cannot wait.

[sleekproductions]

This movie is hilarious from begining to end. Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal are great, and they seem as if they're just having a great time. Quite simply put, the only reason this isn't better than the first, is because the first one did it first, lol, if you understand what I'm saying. A truly hilarious film, and one of the best comedies of the year. The story was great, as were the characters, and this is just a great time at the movies. A very good follow up to the original.

8.5/10

[bskutle]

Let me just say- I liked "Analyze This." DeNiro was funny. Crystal was funny. The premise was funny. The movie- directed by Harold Ramis- was funny. But...did it need a sequel? Financially, it's a sound idea- "This" made money. But I didn't immediately think sequel when I saw DeNiro's first funny-fest. For the record, though- I can't wait for them to finally do "Meet the Fockers" to follow-up Bobby's other smash comedy, "Meet the Parents." "Analyze That"- with Ramis still directing- feels like a cash-in job- the jokes aren't as fresh, the performances (by Billy, by Bobby, by Lisa Kudrow) don't have that comic fire they did first time around, and it just doesn't bust your gut. "This" was good (A-). "That" isn't bad, it's just...unnecessary.

[Big Pudge]

Originally posted by XCoRyX
i dont have any plans on spending money on this one....i wasnt too big on the first one,and i find it overrated....i remember my mom was going to go see analyze this with her boyfriend,and let me ad my friend see the rage:carrie 2,but we couldnt get in unless they were there....so we had to watch it with them,we wound up walking around the cinema looking at posters and talking.

couldnt see The Rage: Carrie 2... but ur favorite movie is CLOCKWORK ORANGE!!! sorry, i found that a lil comical!

[Big Pudge]

well i enoyed THAT alot! it was funny as hell! just proves how gr8 a fucking actor DeNiro and Crystal are!!

i havnt made up my mind on whether or not i like it better than THIS but i will make that decision tonight, as i am about to go watch it!

[blankpage]

Well I thought this movie was halarious. From the first scene, to the last. Though the movie began to loose it self here and there. But overall a good time.

7/10

PS- I will try to post a full review soon :) .

[Jason]

The film made $11 million this weekend and looks to be a dissapoint for the studio but only time will tell.

[Puck Bond]

Analyze That is a so-so sequel to the popular 1999 comedy Analyze This starring mob boss Paul Vitti played by Robert De Niro and his therapist Dr. Ben Sobel played by Billy Crystal. Unfortunately this time around it doesn't seem nearly as fresh and original as the first one and the comedy has become tired and repetitive. This time we see Paul Vitti in prison and after he finds out people are trying to kill him he fakes mental illness(singing showtunes from West Side Sory a joke that doesn't work and acting retarded and catatonic), so that Dr. Sobel can take him into his care. It is now Sobel's responsibility, much to the disapproval of his wife(the annoying Lisa Kudrow) to take Vitti into his home and see that he becomes a well adjusted individual by getting a real job, which include selling cars, hosting a restaurant, jewelry salesman and finally landing a gig as a consultant for a "Sopranos" like TV show called "Little Caesar". As with most mob films where someone is trying to get out, there are always forces preventing him from leaving the life...in this case a war between the 2 rival families one ran by Patti played by Cathy Moriarty-Gentile and another ran by Lou the Wrench...a lot of the same old jokes are re-hashed like Vitti's problems dealing with his father's murder, but also Dr. Sobel is now grieving for the passing of his father(having to be told it's a process was irritating). De Niro ad Crystal do make a good pair on screen ad I did laugh a few times...the comedy is at its best when Crystal is in the mob world and De Niro is part of the real, normal world. Overall Analyze That just doesn't have the original freshness and inventiveness of the first movie even thouh De Niro ad Crystal are good together.

[Santa Clause]

I went to see this movie last night and I almost died lauging. Me and my Dad were the only ones in the theatre. Robert Deniro was amazing, I can't beleive how well he acted in this movie. Billy Christal acted better in the first than in the second. And Robert Deniro acted better in this than in the first. It was funnier and smarter than the first one, and overall it was a whole lot better than the first one. Overall I'd give it a 9/10.

[sleekproductions]

I saw this again today, this time with my parents. They both had positive responses. My mom thought it was very funny, though she liked the first one better. My dad and I, however, both agree that it is just as good, and funny as the first one. As a comedy, it holds up quite well!