The Popkorn Junkie :: Analyze That

Comedy sequels have a tendency to not be nearly as entertaining as the originals -- that is just commonplace in the movie industry. I mean, seriously, how many people saw either "Mannequin 2: On the Move" or "Short Circuit 2"? Most comedy sequels take the same characters and storyline from the original and find a different screenwriter to add some different punches, turning those sequels into, essentially, mirror images of the original, with a few extra jokes and puns. That is what has happened with "Analyze That", the sequel to the critically acclaimed and surprisingly successful "Analyze This". Harold Ramis penned the first script by himself, but incorporated acclaimed screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan (he wrote and directed "You Can Count on Me" and penned the screenplay for "Gangs of New York") to add some special touches. It is obvious that Lonergan was not cut out for comedy.

Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow, and Joe Viterelli reprise their roles from the first and have not grown or changed in anyway whatsoever. De Niro is a little less mobsterish, Kudrow is a little more cynical, and Viterelli is a little larger, but that is about it. The story centers around De Niro faking a mental break in order to secure his release from prison. He is released into the custody and care of Crystal, who must find the man a job, while tolerating his living with him. Of course, most of the intended laughs come from De Niro trying to straighten up and Crystal trying to cope with De Niro. Alas, those intended jokes usually fall short because we have already heard them, in "Analyze This". We can only hear De Niro tell Crystal, "You're good, You!" so many times before it becomes annoying.

The worst thing I noticed about this film is that Joe Viterelli (as critic Roger Ebert stated) is treated like he doesn't belong in this picture. He was the funniest character in the first film, and is treated like an extra in this one, focusing more intently on the relationship between De Niro and Crystal. Plus, Lisa Kudrow appears to be the wife from hell. Why did Crystal marry her to begin with? She nags about everything and goes mental under the slightest amount of distress pressure.

It seems to me that director Harold Ramis just made this picture for a quick buck, and little else. The first film did so well, he just assumed the sequel would take off, which is likely will. Alas, there are no more jokes left in this franchise and De Niro, in my opinion, is starting to make way too many comedies. He is funny some of the time -- SOME of the time. And, though I am happy Crystal is not making any more flicks like "Forget Paris" and "My Giant", he needs to start veering into a different direction.

So, overall, "Analyze That" turned out to be like most other sequels -- a couple giggles, but nothing majorly entertaining. I loved the original, but this one falls very short and would have been better off having never been made. But, that is just my opinion and opinion's are like FILL IN THE BLANK, everybody's got one. My analysis: b-b-b-bad.

-- Billy Ray ( 1 pop out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

Other Junkie's opinions.....

James ( 2 1/2 out of 4 pops )

I went to see this by accident, I originally drove down to Arundel Mills to see "Equilibrium", but after trying for what seemed like an eternity (like 15-20 minutes) I found a parking spot, 15 minutes before showtime. So I get to the ticket line, and it's a mile long. So I got back in my car and headed back towards Columbia...and went to see Analyze That, which wasn't really that bad. Sure, the plot was totally meaningless and the humor was forced at times, but there are still plenty of hilarious scenes, so I can't give this movie a bad review. It could have used without Joe Torre, and what about Lisa Kudrow? Her role was a joke. Give her more lines! But again, it was a blast to sit back and watch Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro act, they have such great chemistry. So if you wanna see a comedy, bypass that Rob Schneider flick and see humor that doesn't involve stupid physical comedy, see this movie.

Matt ( 3 out of 4 pops )

After all these weeks and after hearing and reading all these negative comments about the film, I finally got the chance to see it. I loved "Analyze This," so if anybody were to be prejudice about the sequel, it should be me! But I don't agree one bit with the critics or (no offense) the fellow PJ reviewers. This movie is HI-LAR-IOUS!!!! During the first 45 minutes or so, my throat was virtually sore from laughing! They say if you get at least 6 belly laughs from a movie, that means it's good. Well, I got much more than 6 belly laughs, and I don't often get "belly laughs" from most of the dopey comedies that have came out in recent years. There are so many great gags that I cannot dare to give away. OK, I'll give away 2 of them, just to give people a sample. The funniest scene is when Billy Crystal gets angry at Bobby D for making too much noise while having sex in the room above. Billy says, "What's wrong with you? I take you in, I give you a homecooked meal." Bobby responds, "Yeah, that's what I've been j**king off to the last 3 years in prison, a homecooked meal." Then he makes a funny gesture, accompanied by a funny line, which I'll let you see for yourself. And there's another gag where Billy's face-to-face with a scantily clad stripper and he stuffs his "change for the meter" down her g-string. Now, how could somebody NOT find that funny? Sure, I love Joe Viterelli as Jelly, and wish he could've been used more, but who cares? The movie is still hilarious! DeNiro alone makes this movie drop-dead funny. And what's this crap about "Analyze That" being "more of the same thing." The plot is completely different from the original. And DeNiro only repeats the "You're good" gag twice in the film. The joke's still funny, as long as it's not repeated to oblivion! The second half of the film is not quite as funny, but if the gags in the opening weren't so drop-dead hilarious, that wouldn't have been a problem. From that point, there was nowhere to go but down.