Analyze That

Analyze That
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Harold Ramis
Written by	Peter Tolan Peter Steinfeld Harold Ramis
Based on	Characters byKenneth Lonergan Peter Tolan
Produced by	Paula Weinstein Jane Rosenthal
Starring	Robert De Niro Billy Crystal Lisa Kudrow Joe Viterelli Cathy Moriarty
Cinematography	Ellen Kuras
Edited by	Andrew Mondshein
Music by	David Holmes
Production companies	Village Roadshow Pictures NPV Entertainment Baltimore Spring Creek Pictures Face Productions TriBeCa Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	December 6, 2002(2002-12-06)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$60 million
Box office	$55 million

Analyze Thatis a 2002 Americancrime comedy filmdirected byHarold Ramisand produced byPaula WeinsteinandJane Rosenthal.The film is asequelto the 1999 filmAnalyze This.The film starredRobert De NiroandBilly Crystalwho respectively reprise their roles as mobster Paul Vitti and psychiatrist Ben Sobel.

Following the success of the first film,Warner Bros.developed a follow-up to the film, with much of the same cast and crew returning.Analyze Thatwas released on December 6, 2002, however, did not achieve the commercial success that the first film had, grossing only $55 million worldwide against its $60 million budget.

Plot

Near the completion of his sentence inSing Sing,Paul Vitti's life is threatened by assassins and corrupt guards while incarcerated. He starts singing showtunes fromWest Side Storyto get the attention of Ben Sobel, who previously hung up on him while attending his father's funeral.

The FBI calls in Ben to perform psychiatric tests on Paul to determine if he is feigning insanity. After the tests, it appears Paul's mental state is deteriorating, and the FBI approves Paul's release for one month into Ben's custody for further therapy. As Ben drives Paul from prison, Paul immediately reveals that he was faking.

Ben talks Paul into finding a regular job as requested by the FBI. Paul attempts to find a legitimate job (he tries a car dealer, a restaurant, and a jewelry store), but his rude manners and paranoia only complicate things further. This ends up in him getting fired each time.

At the same time, Paul is told byde factoboss Patti LoPresti that the Rigazzi family wants him dead. He responds to this by telling the Rigazzis that he is "out" and seeking a new line of employment. He eventually finds employment working as a technical advisor on the set of a mafiaTV series.

Meanwhile,FBIagents inform Ben that Paul has his former crew back together, and may be planning something major. This rouses Ben's suspicion, and he visits Paul. Both get caught up in a car chase with Rigazzi hitmen, which ends up with Paul escaping. The FBI blames Ben, and gives him 24 hours to locate Paul.

After locating Paul through Ben's son Michael, who is now working as Paul's chauffeur, Ben discovers Paul is planning a big armored car heist with LoPresti as a partner. He attempts to intervene and talk Paul out of it but Paul proceeds and Ben is forced to go along as well.

The crew ambushes the armored car with smoke grenades, and lift it over a fence in the midst of the confusion. They extract over $22 million ofgold bullion,but LoPresti's thugs take over, revealing themselves to actually have been working for Rigazzi.

Ben, in a fit of anger, beats one of them, and Paul's men apprehend the others. They use the gold bullion to frame the Rigazzi family, leaving three Rigazzi goons locked in the armored truck suspended from the crane. This leads to the arrest of the entire Rigazzi family, preventing a mob war.

Ben meets with Paul and Jelly near bridges on the New York waterfront, and they part ways again as friends, singinganotherWest Side Storyshowtune together. During the credits,bloopersare shown.

Cast

• Robert De Niroas Paul Vitti
• Billy Crystalas Ben Sobel
• Lisa Kudrowas Laura Sobel
• Joe Viterellias "Jelly"
• Cathy Moriarty-Gentileas Patti LoPresti
• Reg Rogersas Raoul Berman
• John Finnas Richard Chapin
• Kyle Sabihy as Michael Sobel
• Callie Thorneas FBI Agent Cerrone
• Pat Cooperas Masiello
• Frank Gio as Lou "The Wrench" Rigazzi
• Donnamarie Recco as Sheila
• Joey "Coco" Diazas "Ducks"
• Thomas Rosales, Jr.as "Coyote"
• Rebecca Schullas Dorothy Sobel
• Dr.Joyce Brothersas herself
• James Biberias FBI Agent Miller
• Firdous Bamjias Dr. Kassam
• Sylvia Kaudersas Aunt Esther
• Steven Kampmannas Mr. Macinerny
• Tom Papaas Boyfriend
• Joe Torreas himself
• Paul Hermanas Joey "Boots"
• Charles A. Garganoas Maitre'D
• Vinny Vella, Sr.as Mello
• Demetri Martinas P.A.
• Gina Lynnas Stripper
• Anthony LaPagliaas Antony Bella who plays Nicky Caesar in the fictitious seriesLittle Caesar(uncredited)

Production

Pre-production

Initially, there was no plan to create a sequel toAnalyze This,but the critical acclaim and box office success generated by the first film encouraged the producers to consider a sequel and discuss it with the studio and actors. They believed, as said by Billy Crystal, that "there was an unfinished relationship between Ben Sobel and Paul Vitti from the first film" and "there was a good story to tell", so the sequel was commissioned.

The story of the sequel was inspired by an article inThe New York Timesabout thepsychotherapyused in the mafiaTV showThe Sopranos.Harold Ramis said the article "raised questions about human nature and morality...Can the criminal mind be turned?" and he became interested in what would happen if "Paul Vitti got out of jail and committed himself to going straight."

The production arranged for Dr. Stephen A. Sands, a psychiatrist and faculty member ofColumbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons,to be a technical adviser for the film, and he remained on set during the filming of scenes that involved psychiatric issues. Sands was very familiar with the details of mobsterVincent "The Chin" Gigante's alleged mental illness after studying the case during his post-doctoral training. Sands also arranged for Robert De Niro to visitBellevue Hospital's psychiatric unit to meet patients and psychiatrists to discuss the character's symptoms, and De Niro sometimes participated ingroup therapysessions during these visits.

Filming

Filming began in April 2002, and most of the scenes were shot in and aroundNew York City,7 months after the9/11attacks. Producer Jane Rosenthal said they decided to shoot the film there because "[i]t would have been unpatriotic not to shoot the picture in New York... As a New Yorker it was extremely important for me to get back to work and business as usual after 9/11."

Filming locations for Vitti's attempts at lawful employment include anAudidealership on Park Avenue inManhattan,a jewelry store in theDiamond Districton West 47th Street, andGallagher's Steak Houseon West 52nd Street. The prison scenes were filmed at theRiker's Islandprison in Queens, with the prison release scene shot outside the entrance toSing SingPrison in Ossining, New York. The funeral for Ben's father was filmed atRiverside Memorial Chapelon Manhattan's Upper West Side, and the Sobel household scenes shot inMontclair, New Jersey.The dinner at Nogo restaurant was filmed at West 13th Street in a restaurant that had closed down, and been refurbished by the film's art department. The scenes of Patty LoPresti's home were filmed inHo-Ho-Kus, New Jersey,and the Little Caesar set in Washington Square Park, Manhattan.Car chases were filmed on New Jersey Turnpike service roads in Kearney.The heist-planning scenes were shot in two locations: a derelict building in the meat packing district near West 14th Street, and a club called Exit on West 56th Street. The majority of the heist scenes were shot in an empty lot in West 57th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues, and below a West Side Highway underpass. While filming part of the heist sequence at the New York State 369th Regiment armory, on145th StreetandFifth Avenue,the film set was visited by former PresidentBill Clinton,who was pleased the movie was being filmed in New York. The scene at a drive-through bank where the money flies before the police chase was filmed inCarlstadt, New Jersey.

During filming in Manhattan'sChelsea districtJune 14, Amanda Winklevoss, older sister toCameronandTyler Winklevoss,died from a cardiac arrest due to a drug overdose after climbing into a camera truck.

CinematographerEllen Kuras said that in shooting the film, the intention was to highlight the contrast between Vitti and Sobel's environments, because the film "exists in two different worlds... We wanted to evoke the contrast so we made Vitti's world cool, blue and blue-green, whereas Ben's world has a brighter, warmer palette, yellows and oranges that provide a neutral tone."

Reception

Box office

Analyze Thatopened in 2,635 theaters and grossed $11 million in its opening weekend, ranking in second place behindDie Another Day.The film went on to gross $32 million at the domestic box office and a further $23 million at the international box office for a worldwide total of $55 million against its $60 million budget.

Critical reception

OnRotten Tomatoes,the film has an approval rating of 27% based on 150 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The site's consensus reads: "The one joke premise is stretched a bit thin in this messy sequel, but a few laughs can be had here and there."OnMetacritic,the film has a weighted average score of 37 out of 100, based on reviews from 34 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebertgave the film 2 out of 4 stars, and wrote "If the first film seemed to flow naturally from the premise, this one seems to slink uneasily onto the screen, aware that it feels exactly like a facile, superficial recycling job."

The film won the award for Worst Sequel at the2002 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.

External links

• Analyze ThatatIMDb
• Analyze ThatatBox Office Mojo