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Analyse this (Analyze this)
Threat advisory: High - High risk of entertaining activities
Movie propaganda
Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) is one of New York's most powerful gangsters. But when it becomes time for Vitti to assume his role as the leader of his crime family, he suddenly starts having trouble breathing. He can't sleep; he's distant and preoccupied around his wife and kids; his mistress wants to know why his interest in romance has flagged; and his loyal henchmen wonder at his suddenly anxious demeanour.
If the other crime families find out that Vitti is having panic attacks, then how can he run his business? He's supposed to inspire panic, not experience it.
Ben Sobol (Billy Crystal) is a divorced suburban New York psychiatrist with a young son (Kyle Sahiby) and a fiancée (Lisa Kudrow) he's about to marry. He's a nice guy and a loving dad who's plagued by his relationship with his own father, a highly successful, media seeking, pretentious upper East Side therapist. Ben doesn't want to be anything like either of his self-absorbed parents - even if shunning the spotlight means enduring a patient list full of dull, boringly neurotic complainers without a serious challenge among them.
As a result, Ben's life is pretty ordinary - until he rear-ends a car in traffic. Not just any car, but a car driven by Jelly (Joe Viterelli), Paul Vitti's bodyguard. Naturally, Vitti's people don't care about insurance reports. But when Ben presses his business card into Jelly's hand, a relationship is born. Not between driver and driver - instead, it's between doctor and patient.
Vitti confides to his henchman that he's considering finding a therapist, and the ever loyal Jelly offers his boss Ben's card. But what kind of mental health advice do you give a guy who solves his problems with a gun and a sack of cement?
Cinematic intelligence sources
- See also Analyse that, The Don's analyst
Intelligence analyst
Special Agent Matti
Theatrical report
Robert being funny and Billy being serious. Now there's a turn out for the books.
The funniest part about Robert being a funny mafioso is that there's not much difference from Robert being a serious mafioso, except maybe Vitti has slightly fewer dimensions than his other tough guys. The funniest part about Billy being a serious psychiatrist is that he's Jewish. You can take the Jew out of New York, but you can't take New York out of the Jew.
You want a fresh one?
(That's a line from the film. The funniest one. You have to see it in context.)
But seriously folks, if you imagine a movie made in Hollywood in the 90s about an Italian gangster and a Jewish psychiatrist, Analyse this would be it. It's entertaining and funny but ultimately lightweight. The Godfather it ain't, but it's worth a look on a Saturday night.
You know what I mean?
Security censorship classification
MA 15+ (Medium level coarse language)
Not for public release in Australia before date
VHS retail: 11 July 2000
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