Analyze This

Last updated

Analyze This
Analyze this.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Harold Ramis
Screenplay by Kenneth Lonergan
Peter Tolan
Harold Ramis
Story byKenneth Lonergan
Peter Tolan
Produced by Paula Weinstein
Jane Rosenthal
Starring
Cinematography Stuart Dryburgh
Edited byCraig P. Herring
Christopher Tellefsen
Music by Howard Shore
Production
companies
Village Roadshow Pictures
NPV Entertainment
Baltimore Spring Creek Pictures
Face Productions
TriBeCa Productions
Distributed by Warner Bros. (International)
Roadshow Entertainment (Australia)
Release date
  • March 5, 1999 (1999-03-05)
Running time
103 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Australia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million [1]
Box office$176.9 million [1]

Analyze This is a 1999 American mafia 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 (Robert De Niro) who solicits the assistance of a reluctant psychiatrist (Billy Crystal).

Contents

Analyze This was given a wide release by Warner Bros. Pictures and Roadshow Entertainment on March 5, 1999, grossing $176.9 million worldwide, and received positive reviews. Due to its success, it was followed by the sequel Analyze That in 2002.

Plot

Mob boss Paul Vitti and his consigliere Manetta are discussing an upcoming meeting and the Mafia's present-day problems over lunch. Just as Manetta warns Paul to look out for Primo Sindone (an up-and-coming mafioso who wants to be capo di tutti capi ), gunmen drive past and kill Manetta.

Psychiatrist Ben Sobel is disillusioned with his life: his son from his first marriage spies on his sessions, his patients are not challenging enough, and his wedding to Laura MacNamara is upcoming. Ben accidentally rear-ends a car belonging to Paul and the trunk opens, revealing a hostage bound and gagged inside, which Ben and his son do not notice. Jelly, one of Paul's men, takes the blame, but Ben gives Jelly his business card in case he changes his mind regarding compensation.

During a meeting, Paul has a panic attack and tells Jelly that he needs to see a psychiatrist, but it has to be kept a secret, Jelly recommends Ben. Paul visits Ben, claiming his friend needs therapy, but Ben deduces his lie. As he realizes Paul is talking about himself, it impresses Paul enough to want to see him permanently, to Ben's chagrin. Ben flies to Miami for his wedding and Paul, Jelly, and the crew follow. Paul explains he has been suffering from erectile dysfunction and Ben suggests the source of the problem might be stress.

The next day, Paul has another panic attack and demands to see Ben. Paul explains his history with his father to him, who thinks this might have something to do with Paul's anxiety. The wedding is interrupted when an assassin is killed by Jelly. Ben confronts Paul and causes him to lose his temper. Ben suggests he resolve his anger by calling Primo and telling him how he feels. Paul phones Primo and threatens to kill him.

Ben and his family return to New York, where they find a fountain in their garden, a gift from Paul. The FBI arrive and request Ben inform on Paul, but he refuses despite the FBI's threats. He changes his mind when the FBI play a tape in which Paul reveals his intention to kill Ben after the meeting (which the FBI had doctored: Paul was actually saying he would kill anyone who harmed Ben).

At his next meet-up with Paul, Ben wears a wire, but discards it when he learns that, as a child, he witnessed his father being murdered. Paul, informed that Ben was working with the FBI, takes him to a secluded place to kill him. They get into a heated argument, and Paul begins sobbing as he admits that he blames himself for his father's death. Just then, two hitmen arrive to kill Paul, but Jelly kills them both. Paul apologizes for planning to kill Ben, and the two go their separate ways.

The day of the meeting arrives, but Paul has a severe panic attack. Jelly interrupts Ben's wedding, requesting Ben attend the meeting as Paul's consigliere. Ben is nervous, but his ego causes him to patronize Primo until he finally pulls a gun. Paul arrives, orders Primo to stand down, and announces he knows a traitor in his own family killed Dominic, but will not seek revenge as he instead will retire from the Mafia. Outside, a standoff ensues between Paul's and Primo's men, during which Ben sacrifices himself for Paul. The FBI intervenes, the mobsters are arrested, and Ben is taken to the hospital.

Ben visits Paul in prison, and Paul thanks Ben for his help before informing him that Primo is dead. At home, Ben dances with his new wife as Tony Bennett serenades them.

Cast

Production

Development

Analyze This was co-produced and co-financed by the American Warner Bros. and the Australian Roadshow Entertainment. [2]

Reception

Box office

Analyze This opened in 2,518 theaters and earned an average of $7,017 per location, for an estimated $18 million opening, putting it at number 1 at the box office for that weekend; it exceeded the $13 million debut of Crystal's City Slickers in 1991. [3] It would also break Ronin 's record for having the largest opening weekend for a Robert De Niro film. [4] The film held this record until the release of Meet the Parents in October 2000. [5] The opening weekend audience skewed older, with 75% over the age of 25, and audience demographics being 54% female to 46% male. [3] The film went on to earn $107 million at the domestic box office and a further $70 million at the international box office, for a worldwide total of $177 million. [1]

Critical response

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 69% from 107 reviews, with an average rating of 6.50/10. The website's consensus states, "Analyze This is a satisfying comedy with great performances by De Niro and Crystal." [6] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 30 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [7] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A-." [8]

Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, saying the film would be thought of in terms of the two leads, but also praised Joe Viterelli for his subtle performance that holds the film together. [9] Variety's review highlighted the film as a " sometimes funny situation comedy in which the mechanics of the situation eventually overwhelm the comedy." [10]

In his review for The Hollywood Reporter , David Hunter stated that "Analyze This has multiple personalities and hits the audience with a few fresh jokes but far too many 1970s mafia movie cliches" and found the performances in the film lacking, with both De Niro and Crystal not fully realizing the comic potential of the premise and certain moments falling short of authenticity. [11] Geoff Andrew of Time Out described the comedy as "heavy" and the use of the actors as "lazy and cliched". [12]

Analyze This drew several comparisons by journalists to the mafia show The Sopranos , which had premiered two months earlier in January, due to its plot about mobster Tony Soprano seeing a psychiatrist after suffering a panic attack. [13] [14] [15] [16] The film is also mentioned in The Sopranos episode "Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office..." [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Pesci</span> American actor (born 1943)

Joseph Frank Pesci is an American actor and musician. He is known for portraying tough, volatile characters in a variety of genres and for his collaborations with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in the films Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and The Irishman (2019). He has received several awards including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award with nominations for three Golden Globe Awards.

Joseph Viterelli was an American actor, best remembered for playing Italian-American mobsters. He portrayed Jelly in Analyze This (1999) and Analyze That (2002). He also played Joe Profaci in Mobsters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chazz Palminteri</span> American actor (born 1952)

Calogero Lorenzo "Chazz" Palminteri is an American actor. He is best known for his film roles in A Bronx Tale (1993), based on his play of the same name, Bullets Over Broadway (1994) for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and The Usual Suspects (1995), as well as his recurring role as Shorty in Modern Family (2010–2019).

<i>Casino</i> (1995 film) 1995 film directed by Martin Scorsese

Casino is a 1995 epic crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, adapted by Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi from the latter's nonfiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. It stars Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, and James Woods. The film was the eighth collaboration between director Scorsese and De Niro.

<i>Mickey Blue Eyes</i> 1999 American romcom crime film

Mickey Blue Eyes is a 1999 romantic comedy crime film directed by Kelly Makin. Hugh Grant stars as Michael Felgate, an English auctioneer living in New York City who becomes entangled in his soon-to-be father-in-law's mafia connections. Several of the minor roles are played by actors later featured in The Sopranos.

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

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph D. Pistone</span> American FBI agent

Joseph Dominick Pistone is an American former FBI agent who worked undercover as Donnie Brasco between September 1976 and July 1981, as part of an infiltration primarily into the Bonanno crime family, and to a lesser extent the Colombo crime family, two of the Five Families of the Mafia in New York City. Pistone was an FBI agent for 17 years, from 1969 until he resigned in 1986. The evidence collected by Pistone led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions of Mafia members, and some responsible for his infiltration were also killed by other mobsters.

<i>Donnie Brasco</i> (film) 1997 film by Mike Newell

Donnie Brasco is a 1997 American crime drama film directed by Mike Newell, and starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, and Anne Heche appeared in supporting roles. The film, written by Paul Attanasio, is based on the 1988 nonfiction book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley.

<i>Analyze That</i> 2002 film by Harold Ramis

Analyze That is a 2002 American mafia 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.

<i>See Spot Run</i> 2001 film by John Whitesell

See Spot Run is a 2001 American comedy film directed by John Whitesell and starring David Arquette, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Joe Viterelli, Angus Jones, Anthony Anderson, Steve Schirripa, and Paul Sorvino. It is about a mailman who takes in a stray bullmastiff, the titular Spot, only to discover he is a trained FBI dog who escaped from a witness protection program and is targeted for attacking a crime boss.

<i>Smokin Aces</i> 2006 film

Smokin' Aces is a 2006 action thriller film written and directed by Joe Carnahan. The film centers on the chase for Las Vegas magician turned mafia informant Buddy "Aces" Israel, on whom a one-million-dollar bounty is placed. The ensemble cast includes Ryan Reynolds, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Common, Andy García, Alicia Keys, Taraji P. Henson, Ray Liotta, Chris Pine, and Matthew Fox, all co-starring as the various individuals attempting to either capture, kill or protect Israel.

Mafia films—a version of gangster films—are a subgenre of crime films dealing with organized crime, often specifically with Mafia organizations. Especially in early mob films, there is considerable overlap with film noir. Popular regional variations of the genre include Italian Poliziotteschi, Chinese Triad films, Japanese Yakuza films, and Indian Mumbai underworld films.

Tony Darrow is an American actor and screenwriter known for his roles in Goodfellas, Bullets Over Broadway, The Sopranos, and others.

<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. 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. In 2009, De Niro received the Kennedy Center Honors, and earned a Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama in 2016.

The Trafficante crime family, also known as the Tampa Mafia, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Tampa, Florida. The most notable boss was Santo Trafficante, Jr. who ruled Tampa and the crime family with an iron fist. Author Scott Deitche reported that Santo Jr. was involved with the CIA to plot assassination attempts on Fidel Castro. After the death of Santo Jr. in 1987, the Tampa Mafia family has been controlled by Vincent LoScalzo.

<i>Gun Shy</i> (2000 film) 2000 American film

Gun Shy is a 2000 American black comedy film written and directed by Eric Blakeney, and starring Liam Neeson, Oliver Platt and Sandra Bullock.

<i>Bhargavacharitham Moonam Khandam</i> 2006 Indian film

Bhargavacharitham Moonam Khandam is a 2006 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Jomon starring Mammootty, Sreenivasan and Rahman. The lead characters are inspired by the film Analyze This though the plot is original.

<i>The Family</i> (2013 film) 2013 film by Luc Besson

The Family is a 2013 black comedy crime film co-written and directed by Luc Besson, starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, Dianna Agron, and John D'Leo. It follows a Mafia family in the witness protection program who want to change their lives. It is based on the French novel Malavita by Tonino Benacquista.

<i>The Gang That Couldnt Shoot Straight</i> 1971 film by James Goldstone

The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight is a 1971 American crime comedy film directed by James Goldstone and written by Waldo Salt, based on the 1969 novel of the same title by Jimmy Breslin, which in turn was based on the life of gangster Joe Gallo. The film stars Jerry Orbach, Leigh Taylor-Young, Jo Van Fleet, Lionel Stander, Robert De Niro and Irving Selbst. The film was released on December 22, 1971, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gangster film</span> Film genre

A gangster film or gangster movie is a film belonging to a genre that focuses on gangs and organized crime. It is a subgenre of crime film, that may involve large criminal organizations, or small gangs formed to perform a certain illegal act. The genre is differentiated from Westerns and the gangs of that genre.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Analyze This (1999) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
  2. ↑ "For Warner and Roadshow Studios, No Need to Analyze Joint Ventures". Los Angeles Times . March 5, 1999.
  3. 1 2 Hindes, Andrew (March 7, 1999). "Adults take to 'This', Teens steer 'Cruel' to No. 2". Variety .
  4. ↑ "De Niro, Crystal draw audiences". St. Cloud Times . March 9, 1999. p. 14. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. ↑ Reese, Lori (October 8, 2000). "Meet the Parents tops the box office". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Analyze This". Rotten Tomatoes . April 4, 2021. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Analyze This". Metacritic . April 27, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Analyze This (1999)". CinemaScore . Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ Ebert, Roger (March 1, 1999). "Analyze This Movie Review & Film Summary". Chicago Sun-Times .
  10. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (February 22, 1999). "Analyze This". Variety. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  11. ↑ Hunter, David (March 5, 2020). "'Analyze This': THR's 1999 Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Analyze This - Movie Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  13. ↑ Travers, Peter (March 5, 1999). "Analyze This". Rolling Stone .
  14. ↑ Franklin, Nancy (March 22, 1999). "The Hit Man's Burden". The New Yorker .
  15. ↑ "'Analyze This': Mobster With Panic Attacks Meets Therapist". The New York Times . March 5, 1999.
  16. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (February 21, 1999). "Analyze This". Variety.
  17. ↑ "02x01 - Guy walks into a psychiatrist's office - Transcripts - Forever Dreaming". transcripts.foreverdreaming.org. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.