8:00 PM, 22nd May, 2003
Somebody yelled 'Judas!' when Bob Dylan began the electric half of his famous set at the Albert Hall, but who do you think ended up looking like an idiot? When people try new things, they get laughed at. I sure laughed at Robert De Niro when he played Paul Vitti, the emotionally troubled Mafia boss, in Analyze This; he was funnier than Billy Crystal. Then, as if we didn't get the point, he went on to star in Meet The Parents, in which he was funnier than Ben Stiller. Now he's back with Crystal in Analyze That. In Analzye This, Paul Vitti forced Dr. Ben Sobel (Crystal) to help him with his emotional problems. In this sequel, Vitti once again hooks up with Sobel when he faces a different problem. I haven't seen the movie, so I can't tell you whether it's any good or if it measures up to its predecessor, but whereas Analyze This was based on an original idea, Analyze That will have to get by on rehashing that idea. Hopedly, as with Men In Black 2, it will prove just how much mileage you can get out of a good idea.
Tom Brewster