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Analyze That (2002)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
2/25
2/25:
I thought Analyze That would be worse, but happily, my prediction didn't come true.
Off to a rough start, Robert De Niro acts crude, dragging down the quality of the material. By the time
his character is let out of prison, things pick up as everybody is back to making comedy come alive. The
biggest difference is Billy Crystal being much funnier than he was in the original. By the way, the part
about Paul Vitti faking his mental illness did happen for real to a real Mafia don Vincent Gigante, earning
himself the nickname "Oddfather," which went on for decades.
It's strange that Robert De Niro agreed to be in this sequel because he never did that hitherto.
The Godfather Part II doesn't count because of two reasons: 1) He
wasn't in the original; and 2) His role was more suited for a prequel, forcing him to speak Sicilian completely,
something that he had never done before. Pairing up Cathy Moriarty with Robert De Niro brings back their days of
Raging Bull which was her first film ever.
There are several cinematic references. The songs that Robert De Niro sang at the beginning comes from
West Side Story. When he said, "I like hitting guys over the head with a
baseball bat," that's The Untouchables.
How about "Remember the strike on Air France? People are still talking about that!"? Of course, it
was the 1978 Lufthansa heist as recreated in Goodfellas. Not many know this,
but Anthony LaPaglia is actually Australian, having been born there, and is half-Italian through his father's side.
All in all, Billy Crystal saves Analyze That from foundering further while Robert De Niro has his moments.