Analyze That ** (2002, Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal) – Classic Movie Review 1003

Robert De Niro’s waiting to make you laugh, but the wait may be longer than you think in director Harold Ramis’s clumsy 2002 sequel to the 1999 hit Analyze This.

Cuddly crook Mobster Paul Vitti (De Niro) is freed from jail in the custody of his daft shrink Dr Ben Sobol (Billy Crystal), and this time it’s Crystal who’s going round the bend. Alas, despite all the comic skills of the star duo, the magic of the first movie is gone.

This one’s amusing for about half an hour or so and it is hilarious when De Niro sings songs from West Side Story. But soon the smile is freezing on your face, though things improve a little when it turns into a bit of a comedy action thriller.