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Analyze This

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Village Vidiot

Light comedy of a mob boss (Robert De Niro) who comes unglued as a Mafia war is about to begin and needs the services of a shrink (Billy Crystal). The two men psychoanalyze one another and help each other to grow in a set of all too predictable episodes capped by the grand catharsis as a gun battle rages. Some very funny bits, but in all, too small a comedy with too big pretensions to plot and meaning. Sometimes I just wish they would let comedy be comedy. No need to get all serious on us at the big moment. Lisa Kudrow is essentially wasted as Crystal’s ditzy fiancĂ©e. His son, played well by a kid I can’t remember, is good. It’s nice to see a fat kid in a good role played with a modicum of youthful dignity. Best casting of the show. The Mafia folks are all cardboard. The scene with the big sit-down of bosses seems utterly bogus. Still, I laughed loudly at a few scenes, including Crystal’s fantasy during a therapy session. De Niro is a very good actor, but I’d recommend “Jackie Brown” as a display piece for his comic acting. That shows his capacity to move back and forth between psycho and comic. A more complex and interesting performance

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