Analyze This (1999)/Analyze That (2002)

Robert De Niro is a mobster who seeks help from psychiatrist Billy Crystal. Story-wise, the first one is better than the sequel. It’s a comedy version of The Sopranos focusing mostly on the doctor-tough guy relationship with some mobster drama and Crystal’s impending nuptials thrown in for added tension. Acting-wise, it makes sense that De Niro made Meet the Parents in between these two comedies. He seems to have a better grasp on the kind of comedy required in these roles. Unfortunately the story is a mess with De Niro facing psychosis to get out of prison and then finding himself as a consultant on the set of what is essentially The Sopranos. There are dueling crime families that weren’t in the original and a heist that suddenly comes out of left field. Together, the two films are a pair of mostly harmless, mostly forgettable comedies.