There’s something to be said about iconic actors teaming up for a one-two punch of cinematic insanity. It’s a whole other thing when said actors play against type to create cinema gold. Thus is the backbone of 1999’s “Analyze This.” With comedy legend Harold Ramis directing, legends Robert DeNiro and Bully Crystal brought the goods in this fantastic comedy.
The interpersonal struggle of day-to-day-life of gangsters became all the rage in the late 90’s thanks in large part to The Sopranos. But while that ground-breaking juggernaut used dark comedy as a foil to the gritty realism of life in organized crime, “Analyze This” let the comedy take center stage without coming succumbing to generic comedy tropes.
The 90’s proved a strange time for Robert DeNiro. While unintentional, DeNiro’s ridiculous resume that led many to call him the greatest actor of his generation took a turn. There were still the hits (Goodfellas, Casino) but an almost equal amount of forgettable flicks (The Fan). DeNiro’s comedic chops had shown up from time to time but “Analyze Ths” proved the catalyst for his second act as a really strong comedic presence. One that would come to full fruition shortly after with the insanely successful, “Meet the Parents.”
Billy Crystal seems to never get his full due. For most of his career, he was the personification of comedy. Here though, playing a psychiatrist to DeNiro’s fragile, frantic mob boss, his work as the straight-man proved glorious. A mob boss by definition should be the antitheses of vulnerable or weak. Yet DeNiro’s non-traditional take on this role proved infectiously fun. Surviving a failed hit attempt on his life, DeNiro’s character spirals down the rabbit hole of paranoia, neurosis and sheer panic; in the best ways possible.
The push-pull dynamic of their relationship is everything and more you want in a comedy duo. In the hands of a lesser comedic mastermind, it’d have been easy to fail in the execution of highlighting each lead’s performance. But Harold Ramis wrote the book of modern comedy. He knows exactly the buttons to push; and more importantly, when to guide his actors to hold back some, allow some breathing room and really make the comedic moments land.
For anyone familair with mafia lore, “Analyze This” really proves a fresh, funny and unique take on the genre. There are more than enough examples of films when the tone and the take really fall flat. Those are cautionary tales to avoid. “Analyze This” though, now sits as the benchmark for a comedic take on the subject matter.
“Analyze This” was followed by a sequel “Analyze That” which continued the good vibes of it’s predecessor. Sadly, with the passing of Harold Ramis, a three-peat never came to fruition but one can imagine another “Analyze” would have kept the shenanigans on high.
–by Joe Hughes
