"Analyze That" is a perfect example of a completely unnecessary sequel. Does that mean that it totally sucks? No, not at all, but a lot of what's in this movie comes off as a retread of the original. "Analyze This" was a funny movie with a great concept and perfect casting. This sequel, on it's own, is just as good, but a lot of it looks TOO familiar.
There isn't much to really write in this review. "Analyze That" is the sequel to "Analyze This," and it entertained me. That's all there is to it. But wait, is it really that simple? Sure, on it's own, I like"Analyze That," but as far as sequels go, it's not that good. It continues the story, but offers nothing new. There are a few new things regarding the pasts of the main characters, but that's it. It's a completely needless sequel that seems desperate. It's a shining display of typical Hollywood assembly line shit. But again, I gotta say, I liked the movie, and it made me laugh. See the conflict?
Just about the entire cast is back, and really, this movie couldn't have been made without the participation of Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal. They're both so perfect in their roles, and the chemistry is so good, that doing this movie without them would have been as stupid as letting Joel Schumacher direct another "Batman" movie. Lisa Kudrow is also back, but no matter how good of an actress she may be, I'll never see her as anything other than the character she plays in "Friends." Joe Viterelli is also back as "Jelly," and like in the last movie, he comes off as very likable. He seems to have a great time with these movies... though it is called "acting" for a reason, so I guess I'll never know if he's REALLY having a good time. The big new addition to the movie is Cathy Moriarty-Gentile (formerly known as Cathy Moriarty) as an unlikely mob boss. It was good seeing her again. In "Raging Bull," she played the young wife of "Jake La Motta," as played by Robert De Niro. It was cool to see them together again.
"Analyze That" was directed by "Analyze This" director, Harold Ramis (an SCTV alum who played one of the "Ghostbusters"... he directed famous comedies such as "Caddyshack" and "National Lampoon's Vacation"). He did a good job with this movie, but there was nothing extraordinary done, ya know? The script was written by Peter Steinfeld (he wrote "Drowning Mona," which was a box office flop... he wasn't one of the writers for "Analyze This") and Harold Ramis (he helps write just about every movie he directs, including "Analyze This") and Peter Tolan (helped write "America's Sweethearts," "Stealing Harvard," and "Analyze This"). Only one of the several writers of "Analyze This" had no part of "Analyze That," and that's Kenneth Lonergan (he wrote "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle," and, strangely, he wrote and directed "You Can Count on Me," a drama that a lotta critics liked). At this point, I'm probably telling you more than you care to know about the writers. No one cares about writers, everyone knows that. What a shame. I tellya, no one is more undervalued in Hollywood than the writer.
I liked "Analyze That," but I'da been fine if it didn't exist. I did like it, though, and because of that, I'm giving this movie a positive review. Despite all the bullshit, I enjoyed the movie, and that's all that matters. So there.
Scale of 1-10: 7