Analyze That

Last updated

Analyze That
Analyze that.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Harold Ramis
Written by Peter Tolan
Peter Steinfeld
Harold Ramis
Based onCharacters
by Kenneth Lonergan
Peter Tolan
Produced by Paula Weinstein
Jane Rosenthal
Starring
Cinematography Ellen Kuras
Edited by Andrew Mondshein
Music by David Holmes
Production
companies
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • December 6, 2002 (2002-12-06)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60 million [1]
Box office$55 million [1]

Analyze That is a 2002 American crime comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and produced by Paula Weinstein and Jane Rosenthal. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film Analyze This . The film starred Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal who respectively reprise their roles as mobster Paul Vitti and psychiatrist Ben Sobel.

Contents

Following the success of the first film, Warner Bros. developed a follow-up to the film, with much of the same cast and crew returning. Analyze That was released on December 6, 2002, however, did not achieve the commercial success that the first film had, grossing only $55 million worldwide against its $60 million budget.

Plot

Near the completion of his sentence in Sing Sing, Paul Vitti's life is threatened by assassins and corrupt guards while incarcerated. He starts singing showtunes from West Side Story to get the attention of Ben Sobel, who previously hung up on him while attending his father's funeral.

The FBI calls in Ben to perform psychiatric tests on Paul to determine if he is feigning insanity. After the tests, it appears Paul's mental state is deteriorating, and the FBI approves Paul's release for one month into Ben's custody for further therapy. As Ben drives Paul from prison, Paul immediately reveals that he was faking.

Ben talks Paul into finding a regular job as requested by the FBI. Paul attempts to find a legitimate job (he tries a car dealer, a restaurant, and a jewelry store), but his rude manners and paranoia only complicate things further. This ends up in him getting fired each time.

At the same time, Paul is told by de facto boss Patti LoPresti that the Rigazzi family wants him dead. He responds to this by telling the Rigazzis that he is "out" and seeking a new line of employment. He eventually finds employment working as a technical advisor on the set of a mafia TV series.

Meanwhile, FBI agents inform Ben that Paul has his former crew back together, and may be planning something major. This rouses Ben's suspicion, and he visits Paul. Both get caught up in a car chase with Rigazzi hitmen, which ends up with Paul escaping. The FBI blames Ben, and gives him 24 hours to locate Paul.

After locating Paul through Ben's son Michael, who is now working as Paul's chauffeur, Ben discovers Paul is planning a big armored car heist with LoPresti as a partner. He attempts to intervene and talk Paul out of it but Paul proceeds and Ben is forced to go along as well.

The crew ambushes the armored car with smoke grenades, and lift it over a fence in the midst of the confusion. They extract over $22 million of gold bullion, but LoPresti's thugs take over, revealing themselves to actually have been working for Rigazzi.

Ben, in a fit of anger, beats one of them, and Paul's men apprehend the others. They use the gold bullion to frame the Rigazzi family, leaving three Rigazzi goons locked in the armored truck suspended from the crane. This leads to the arrest of the entire Rigazzi family, preventing a mob war.

Ben meets with Paul and Jelly near bridges on the New York waterfront, and they part ways again as friends, singing another West Side Story showtune together. During the credits, bloopers are shown.

Cast

Production

Pre-production

Initially, there was no plan to create a sequel to Analyze This , but the critical acclaim and box office success generated by the first film encouraged the producers to consider a sequel and discuss it with the studio and actors. They believed, as said by Billy Crystal, that "there was an unfinished relationship between Ben Sobel and Paul Vitti from the first film" and "there was a good story to tell", so the sequel was commissioned. [5]

The story of the sequel was inspired by an article in The New York Times about the psychotherapy used in the mafia TV show The Sopranos . Harold Ramis said the article "raised questions about human nature and morality...Can the criminal mind be turned?" and he became interested in what would happen if "Paul Vitti got out of jail and committed himself to going straight." [5]

The production arranged for Dr. Stephen A. Sands, a psychiatrist and faculty member of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, to be a technical adviser for the film, and he remained on set during the filming of scenes that involved psychiatric issues. Sands was very familiar with the details of mobster Vincent "The Chin" Gigante's alleged mental illness after studying the case during his post-doctoral training. Sands also arranged for Robert De Niro to visit Bellevue Hospital's psychiatric unit to meet patients and psychiatrists to discuss the character's symptoms, and De Niro sometimes participated in group therapy sessions during these visits. [5]

Filming

Filming began in April 2002, and most of the scenes were shot in and around New York City, 7 months after the 9/11 attacks. Producer Jane Rosenthal said they decided to shoot the film there because "[i]t would have been unpatriotic not to shoot the picture in New York... As a New Yorker it was extremely important for me to get back to work and business as usual after 9/11." [6]

Filming locations for Vitti's attempts at lawful employment include an Audi dealership on Park Avenue in Manhattan, a jewelry store in the Diamond District on West 47th Street, and Gallagher's Steak House on West 52nd Street. The prison scenes were filmed at the Riker's Island prison in Queens, with the prison release scene shot outside the entrance to Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. The funeral for Ben's father was filmed at Riverside Memorial Chapel on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and the Sobel household scenes shot in Montclair, New Jersey. The dinner at Nogo restaurant was filmed at West 13th Street in a restaurant that had closed down, and been refurbished by the film's art department. The scenes of Patty LoPresti's home were filmed in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and the Little Caesar set in Washington Square Park, Manhattan. [6] Car chases were filmed on New Jersey Turnpike service roads in Kearney. [6] The heist-planning scenes were shot in two locations: a derelict building in the meat packing district near West 14th Street, and a club called Exit on West 56th Street. The majority of the heist scenes were shot in an empty lot in West 57th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues, and below a West Side Highway underpass. While filming part of the heist sequence at the New York State 369th Regiment armory, on 145th Street and Fifth Avenue, the film set was visited by former President Bill Clinton, who was pleased the movie was being filmed in New York. The scene at a drive-through bank where the money flies before the police chase was filmed in Carlstadt, New Jersey. [6]

During filming in Manhattan's Chelsea district June 14, Amanda Winklevoss, older sister to Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, died from a cardiac arrest due to a drug overdose after climbing into a camera truck. [7] [8] [9]

Cinematographer Ellen Kuras said that in shooting the film, the intention was to highlight the contrast between Vitti and Sobel's environments, because the film "exists in two different worlds... We wanted to evoke the contrast so we made Vitti's world cool, blue and blue-green, whereas Ben's world has a brighter, warmer palette, yellows and oranges that provide a neutral tone." [6]

Reception

Box office

Analyze That opened in 2,635 theaters and grossed $11 million in its opening weekend, ranking in second place behind Die Another Day . [10] [1] The film went on to gross $32 million at the domestic box office and a further $23 million at the international box office for a worldwide total of $55 million against its $60 million budget. [11]

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 27% based on 150 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The site's consensus reads: "The one joke premise is stretched a bit thin in this messy sequel, but a few laughs can be had here and there." [12] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 37 out of 100, based on reviews from 34 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [13] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. [14]

Roger Ebert gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, and wrote "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." [15]

The film won the award for Worst Sequel at the 2002 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. [16]

Related Research Articles

<i>Raging Bull</i> 1980 film directed by Martin Scorsese

Raging Bull is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Theresa Saldana, Frank Vincent, and Nicholas Colasanto in his final film role. The film is an adaptation of former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta's 1970 memoir Raging Bull: My Story. It follows the career of LaMotta, played by De Niro, his rise and fall in the boxing scene, and his turbulent personal life beset by rage and jealousy.

<i>Heat</i> (1995 film) 1995 film by Michael Mann

Heat is a 1995 American crime film written and directed by Michael Mann. It features an ensemble cast led by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, with Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, and Val Kilmer in supporting roles. The film follows the conflict between an LAPD detective, played by Pacino, and a career thief, played by De Niro, while also depicting its effect on their professional relationships and personal lives.

<i>Half Past Dead</i> 2002 American action movie by Don Michael Paul

Half Past Dead is a 2002 American action film written and directed by Don Michael Paul in his directorial debut. The film was produced by Elie Samaha, Andrew Stevens, and Steven Seagal, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars Morris Chestnut, Ja Rule, Tony Plana, Kurupt, and Nia Peeples. It tells the story of a criminal who infiltrates a prison to interrogate a prisoner about the location of a fortune in gold while an undercover FBI agent has to stop him. Distribution and copyrights were held by Columbia Pictures. Half Past Dead was released in the United States on November 15, 2002, by Screen Gems. The film garnered negative reviews from critics, and only grossed $19 million worldwide against its $25 million production budget. Half Past Dead was Steven Seagal's last widely released film before he shifted to several direct-to-video films in many years until 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Keitel</span> American actor (born 1939)

Harvey Keitel is an American actor known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with director Martin Scorsese, starring in six of his films: Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967), Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and The Irishman (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Castellano</span> American crime boss (1915–1985)

Constantino Paul Castellano was an American crime boss who succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family of New York City. Castellano ran the organization from 1976 until his murder on December 16, 1985.

<i>The Fast and the Furious</i> (2001 film) 2001 action film directed by Rob Cohen

The Fast and the Furious is a 2001 action film directed by Rob Cohen from a screenplay by Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist, and David Ayer, based on the Vibe magazine article "Racer X" by Ken Li. The first installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, it stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, and Ted Levine. In the film, undercover cop Brian O'Conner (Walker) infiltrates a street racing crew to investigate a series of hijackings and finds himself developing a complex friendship with the group's leader, Dominic Toretto (Diesel).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Aiello</span> American actor (1933–2019)

Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. was an American actor. He appeared in numerous motion pictures, including The Godfather Part II (1974), The Front (1976), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Hide in Plain Sight (1984), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Moonstruck (1987), Harlem Nights (1989), Do the Right Thing (1989), Jacob's Ladder (1990), Hudson Hawk (1991), Ruby (1992), Léon: The Professional (1994), 2 Days in the Valley (1996), Dinner Rush (2000), and Lucky Number Slevin (2006). He played Don Domenico Clericuzio in the miniseries The Last Don (1997).

<i>The King of Comedy</i> (film) 1982 film directed by Martin Scorsese

The King of Comedy is a 1982 American satirical black comedy film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard. Written by Paul D. Zimmerman, the film focuses on themes such as celebrity worship and American media culture. 20th Century Fox released the film on February 18, 1983, in the United States, though the film was released two months earlier in Iceland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Burke (gangster)</span> American gangster (1931-1996)

James Burke, also known as "Jimmy the Gent", was an American gangster and Lucchese crime family associate who is believed to have organized the 1978 Lufthansa heist, the largest cash robbery in American history at the time. He was believed to be responsible for the deaths of those involved in the months after the robbery.

<i>Analyze This</i> 1999 film by Harold Ramis

Analyze This is a 1999 American crime comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the screenplay with playwright Kenneth Lonergan and Peter Tolan. The plot follows a crisis-stricken mafioso who solicits the assistance of a reluctant psychiatrist.

<i>Midnight Run</i> 1988 film by Martin Brest

Midnight Run is a 1988 American action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, written by George Gallo, and starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano, and Philip Baker Hall play supporting roles.

<i>The Departed</i> 2006 American crime thriller film by Martin Scorsese

The Departed is a 2006 American epic crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan. It is both a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs and also loosely based on the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang; the character Colin Sullivan is based on the corrupt FBI agent John Connolly, while the character Frank Costello is based on Irish-American gangster and crime boss Whitey Bulger. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg, with Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson and James Badge Dale in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Rosenthal</span> American film producer

Jane Rosenthal is an American film producer. She is co-founder, CEO, and executive chair of Tribeca Enterprises, a media company that encompasses Tribeca Productions, the Tribeca Film Festival, Tribeca Studios, and non-profit offshoot the Tribeca Film Institute. She and Robert De Niro founded the Tribeca Film Festival in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks to help revitalize downtown Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Kapatos</span> Greek-American gangster (1915–1977)

Thomas Kapatos, nicknamed as "Tommy the Greek", was a Greek-American gangster who was associated with the Irish mob in New York City. A convicted armed robber, Kapatos was an enforcer for Hell's Kitchen crime boss Mickey Spillane during his war against Jimmy Coonan in the 1970s. He was murdered in 1977 as a result of a conflict between Spillane's gang and the Genovese crime family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tribeca Grill</span> Restaurant in New York City, New York

Tribeca Grill is a New American restaurant located at 375 Greenwich Street in Tribeca, Manhattan, in New York City, co-owned by Robert De Niro and Drew Nieporent. Celebrity investors include Bill Murray, Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Ed Harris, and Lou Diamond Phillips, among others. It opened in 1990. The Executive Chef is Stephane Motir. The large mahogany bar in the center of the restaurant is from the former Maxwell's Plum restaurant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert De Niro</span> American actor (born 1943)

Robert Anthony De Niro is an American actor and film producer. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama in 2016.

<i>The Town</i> (2010 film) 2010 American crime thriller film directed by Ben Affleck

The Town is a 2010 American crime thriller film co-written and directed by Ben Affleck, adapted from Chuck Hogan's 2004 novel Prince of Thieves. The film stars Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Titus Welliver, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper and Slaine. Its plot follows a Boston bank robber who begins to develop romantic feelings for a victim of one of his previous robberies, while he and his crew set out to get one final score by robbing Fenway Park.

<i>Fast Five</i> 2011 film by Justin Lin

Fast Five is a 2011 action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to Fast & Furious (2009) and the fifth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise. The film stars Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto and Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner, alongside Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Gal Gadot, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang and Dwayne Johnson. In the film, Dom and Brian, along with Dom's sister Mia (Brewster) plan a heist to steal $100 million from corrupt businessman Hernan Reyes while being pursued for arrest by U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson).

<i>Tower Heist</i> 2011 heist comedy film directed by Brett Ratner

Tower Heist is a 2011 American heist comedy film directed by Brett Ratner, written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson, based on a story by Bill Collage, Adam Cooper and Griffin and starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy with Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Judd Hirsch, Téa Leoni, Michael Peña, and Gabourey Sidibe in supporting roles. The plot follows employees of an exclusive apartment building who lose their pensions in the Ponzi scheme of a Wall Street businessman and enlist the aid of a criminal, a bankrupt businessman, and an immigrant maid to break into his apartment and steal back their money while avoiding the FBI agents in charge of his case. The film marked one of Heavy D's final roles before his death on November 8, 2011, four days after its theatrical release.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Analyze That". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  2. Willis, John (February 1, 2004). Screen World 2003. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   9781557835260.
  3. Gussow, Mel (July 29, 2003). "Photographing Celebrities, Even Those of an X-Rated World". The New York Times .
  4. "At the Movies: 'Analyze That'". ourmidland.com. December 5, 2002.
  5. 1 2 3 "Analyze That Production Notes" . Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "CinemaReview.com Production Notes". Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  7. https://medium.com/@tylerwinklevoss/in-one-of-the-stars-you-have-been-singing-bbedbcaaac38 [ bare URL ]
  8. Tingir, Roxanne (September 6, 2002). "Georgetown Student Dies After Accident". The Hoya. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  9. "Amanda Gesine Winklevoss Obituary". Legacy. New York Times. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  10. "James Bond rules another day". Star Tribune . December 11, 2002. p. E4. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  11. "Analyze That (2002)". the-numbers.com.
  12. "Analyze That". Rotten Tomatoes .
  13. "Analyze That". Metacritic .
  14. "ANALYZE THAT (2002) B". CinemaScore . Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  15. Ebert, Roger. "Analyze That Movie Review & Film Summary (2002)". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  16. "Past Winners Database". The Envelope at L.A. Times. Archived from the original on August 15, 2007. Retrieved October 7, 2019.