Black comedies -- those movies which make light of serious and usually morbid situations -- come in a number of different varieties, each with their own levels of hilarity and cleverness. Grosse Pointe Blank is a good example of a well-done black comedy: subtle, witty, and straightforward. It moved quickly to keep expectations high, and it ended up doing much better than expected. Analyze This, the latest for this genre from Caddyshack helmer Harold Ramis, does not have these elements perfected; instead, it's a lighter, breezier comedy of outrageous situations.

      The outrageous situations are supposed to draw laughs in their own right: mob boss seeks psychiatric help. But the premise lends itself to very little thematically, causing the movie to fall into a repetitive order. The leading names, Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro, add some life to their roles but don't give them excessive dimension.

      De Niro is New York mobster Paul Vitti, head of one the many crime families struggling for dominance in the area. After a lengthy monologue which establishes his place in the crime scene, Vitti luckily avoids an assassination attempt. Unfortunately his friend takes the bullet instead, and Vitti is shaken by the affair. Having in his possession -- by a bizzare chain of circumstances -- the name of psychiatrist Ben Sobol (Crystal), he seeks help and proceeds to drag the unwitting Sobol into the mob life.

      This story is simple enough, and has moments of comic genius, most of which are manifested by a Vitti henchman named Jelly (Joe Viterelli). Unfortunately, most of the movie sees this character dragging psychiatrist Sobol out of his life so he can "help" Vitti, and his efforts are wasted. The movie does manage to break this pattern toward the end of its running time, picking up steam with some great comedy sequences from Billy Crystal. Even with a Godfather parody, though, the movie never really manages to muster any true comedy.

      Instead, it plays out like to A-list actors goofing around. It's easy to see that Crystal and De Niro are having fun, but the real question is whether or not the audience is having fun. And in this case, the answer is: not as much as they should have.

Craig Roush, 1999