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Analyse that!
Though critics call De Niro, Billy Crystal's new a shadow of a joke, the movie is poised for a decent take
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Arthur J. Pais
If audiences across the US sit down to study reviews, they may not want to see Analyze That. The movie stars Robert De Niro, who was reportedly paid the highest fee ($20 million) in his career, and Billy Crystal. Perhaps this comedy is critics-proof and would drive the critics who might want to try to analyse why the film is doing so well nuts.
A sequel to the $220-million grosser Analyze This, the new movie not only unites its stars, it also retains its director Harold Ramis. This time, psychologist Billy Crystal has to deal with the death of his father. He also has to help his mobster client (De Niro) whose life is being threatened.
De Niro's last few films haven't been hits. The expensive action comedy Showtime, in which he shared the lead with Eddie Murphy, made just about $80 million worldwide. For Crystal, the success of Analyze That is very important.
Now, only if the audiences ignore the reviews, particularly that of New York Post's Lou Lumenick, who found the film 'criminally unfunny' and laugh their guts out. 'There's nothing horribly wrong with Analyze That,' wrote ReelViews's James Berardinelli, 'but there's nothing remarkable about it.' His piece was one of the most positive things written about the film.
Most major critics panned the film for being repetitive and devoid of lively situations and smart jokes. In the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert refused to give a thumb up for the film. 'What seemed like a clever idea the first time feels like a retread the second,' he wrote.
In the Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman warned, 'it doesn't take long to get the sinking sensation that you're seeing a shadow of a former joke.'
The trade publications weren't glad about the film either. Though the critic of Variety said the movie would do very good business because of some of the funny sequences that crop up now and then, on the whole the film did not get a good rating.
In Hollywood Reporter, Michael Rechtshaffen wrote that he found the film to be 'surprisingly flat retread, hobbled by half-baked setups and sluggish pacing.'
The most severe warning came from USA Today. 'Even if you end up laughing at parts of the movie,' wrote Mike Clark, 'its staleness may nag.'
Yet, many box-office analysts believe the movie could end up with a decent profit. Despite the crowded market, Gitesh Pandya of BoxofficeGuru.com predicts the movie will open with a highly respectable $21 million.
Now, analyse that!
Also see:
Analyze That premieres in New York