Analyze This

Flipping through channels I came across Analyze This on AMC. I remember wanting to see this movie for the longest time but never being old enough to watch it or getting around to it. In the film Robert De Niro reprises his typical role of gangster and plays Paul Vitti, one of the heads of a New York mob family. (I tried counting the amount of movies De Niro has played a gangster in just for kicks but since a majority of his films involve crime in some way I couldn't keep track.) After seeing the death of another leading head of his family Vitti begins to suffer from panic attacks and can't be the gangster he used to be. To try and fix his issues he drags a psychiatrist, played by Billy Crystal, into the situation. In the end while Vitti figures out his emotional issues he ruins the psychiatrist's life and puts everyone into more danger than they were before. I liked the movie and the way they played with the idea of the tough gangster. Crystal and De Niro make a great comedy pair and both are great at playing up the joke. My only complaints about the film are that it was difficult to watch on TV since every time the characters swore it had to be censored. While you could pretty much get the gist of what it was they were saying it kind ruins experience and reminds you that you're watching it on cable. My other complaint is that the people in charge felt that it was necessary to make a sequel. While I can't say I've seen it and don't know if its any good I hate it when it sequels are made because the first one was successful. I find that most films are good enough without the sequel.

I've always found our obsession with mobster movies fascinating. The mob has come to represent not only a fearful enemy but also a symbol of freedom and justice at times. From iconic films like The Godfather and Scarface to more recent films like Goodfellows and The Departed the mob, mafia, and gangsters have become an idolized aspect of American Culture. What I really like about Analyze This is the fact that it playfully focuses on the effects that being a mafia boss can have on a person. A major theme in gangster films are the effects that the job has on the character and his family, but usually this is looked at very seriously and destroys the character's life. Analyze This makes the gangster confront his issues and shows a personable and funnier side to our obsession with the idea of the mafia.