Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Countless wiseguy films are spoofed in this film that centers on the neuroses and angst of a powerful Mafia racketeer who suffers from panic attacks. When Paul Vitti needs help dealing with his role in the "family," unlucky shrink Dr. Ben Sobel is given just days to resolve Vitti's emotional crisis and turn him into a happy, well-adjusted gangster.
Analyze This rides almost entirely on the chemistry between Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal, both delivering sharp comic performances that elevate a fairly thin premise. De Niro's self-aware mob-boss turn is genuinely funny and he commits fully to the parody. The plot is serviceable but lightweight — a one-joke concept stretched to feature length, with the gangster-therapy premise carrying the film more on charm than narrative ingenuity. The cinematography is workmanlike mid-budget studio comedy with nothing distinctive. The ending deflates rather than lands a satisfying payoff, wrapping up with a rushed mob showdown that feels obligatory. Novelty is moderate — the gangster-therapy spoof had a fresh angle in 1999 but isn't especially singular in execution, borrowing liberally from the De Niro mob-movie canon it parodies.