Review of Analyze This

Introduction

Long ago, when I first bought a DVD player, I took advantage of the introductory offer and sent off for the free promotional discs. It was a pretty good idea that certainly helped the rapid take up of the DVD format. Yes, three Warner Brothers titles were the first discs in my collection, or to be more accurate the twenty-first to twenty-third discs in my collection, allowing for three weeks postage. Anyway, it`s only now nearly three years later that I finally find the time to watch Analyze This for a second time. This particular title is presented on a two-sided disc, with the pan-and-scan as well as the widescreen versions available. You should know that as a cinema purist, I refused to watch the 1.33:1 version on general principle. (Actually, I couldn`t be asked, which amounts to the same thing.)

Paul Vitti is a mob boss with a problem. He has recently survived a hit that took the life of his close friend Dominic Manetta and consequently his nerves have been shattered, he`s suffering from panic attacks and he keeps bursting into tears at inappropriate moments. It`s certainly strange behaviour from one of the most ruthless men in New York and perplexing to his closest associates. What is more problematic is that in two weeks, the biggest meeting in history of mob bosses is scheduled to take place, and if Paul isn`t at the top of his game he`ll be eaten alive. It`s time to take drastic action; it`s time to see a shrink. Ben Sobel is the unsuspecting family psychiatrist who finds the notorious crime boss in his waiting room one morning, and finds he is facing an offer he can`t refuse. Soon the wisecracking shrink has to devote all his time to his new number one patient. Not good when he has to get married in a couple of days, even worse when the Feds take an interest in his latest case, and downright hazardous when Paul Vitti`s friends think that the psychiatrist is a liability.

Video

As mentioned, Analyze This comes with both 1.33:1 regular and 1.85:1 anamorphic versions on two sides of a single layer disc. Naturally the extra features are repeated on both sides.

The picture is fairly good, well defined and colourful. There is a hint of grain though and some of the mob suits did elicit some moiré. All in all, it`s an adequate transfer for a recent film.

Audio

The sound is DD 5.1 English and it does the job well enough. The sound is pretty much front focussed, concentrating on the dialogue and leaving the rears for the music and the occasional burst of gunfire.

Features

What a surprise, a DVD without a trailer in the extras! There is a gag reel and a commentary though.

The gag reel is essentially 5 minutes of cock-ups and for a change is actually quite funny. I think it is partly because of the novelty of seeing an actor of Robert De Niro`s reputation making mistakes.

The commentary is presented in DD 2.0 Surround and is supplied by actors Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro. It`s not going to go down in the DVD commentary hall of fame. It`s certainly gappy and Crystal speaks more often than De Niro. Also while Crystal is fairly voluble and easy to listen to, De Niro is quite the reverse and is at times indistinct. It also lacks subtitles.

Conclusion

Analyze This almost does it, it`s almost a memorable film. For the greater part, director Harold Ramis captures a reality and honesty that works brilliantly to inform the comedy. The premise of the film, while outlandish and played for laughs, certainly isn`t implausible (Sopranos anyone?) and the execution, with actors like Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal is at times inspired. That is until the final act. Up until the last twenty minutes, Analyze This is culture clash comedy at its finest. Then the psychiatrist dons the expensive suit and makes like a mob boss, and the bottom falls out of the credibility market. This neatly and concisely knocks the last nail into the coffin of the film for me.

Anyone who has seen Midnight Run knows that Robert De Niro always has had a flair for comedy, Mad Dog and Glory shows that he can subvert a stereotype or two, but in Analyze This he plays it purely for laughs, and in that respect he scores more often than his co star. He also manages to show a human side in Paul Vitti that resonates as he comes to terms with his traumatic childhood. Billy Crystal is just the same as always, and I must admit I`ve always found him an acquired taste. He`s tolerable here though and perfectly suited to the character of Ben Sobel. As Chris says in his review, Lisa Kudrow is once again playing Phoebe from Friends, but my favourite character in the film has to be the simple Jelly played by Joe Viterelli. His was a charming disingenuousness.

Analyze This gave my spellchecker a migraine. It was also a lot of fun. The characters were stereotyped but the story had heart. That was until the tacky ending that had me looking at the screen through my fingers, wincing in embarrassment at the gratuitous cheese. A fair disc for a good film laid to rest in the final act.