Analyze
This
DOWN &
DIRTY:
Comedy: A psychiatrist
reluctantly takes on a new client
-- a mobster who's suffering from
anxiety attacks.
NITTY GRITTY:
Dr. Ben Sobel (BILLY CRYSTAL) is
a New York psychiatrist whose
only concerns are his teenage
son, Michael (KYLE SABIHY), his
bestselling author/father of whom
he's jealous, and Laura MacNamara
(LISA KUDROW), a TV reporter, to
whom he's soon getting married.
This all changes when he
accidentally rear-ends a car
driven by some mobsters. The
trunk pops open and there's a
body tied up inside. The mobsters
quickly close the trunk and try
to move on. But Sobel, fearing an
insurance lawsuit and not knowing
they're mobsters, gives them his
business card.
Turns out they work for Paul
Vitti (ROBERT DE NIRO), one of
New York city's most powerful
gangsters. Vitti's about to take
over the crime family after his
mentor was gunned down by a rival
gang.
The problem is, Vitti's suddenly
afflicted with panic attacks.
Knowing that his rivals,
including Primo Sindone (CHAZZ
PALMINTERI), will discover his
weakness and try to take
advantage, Vitti reluctantly goes
to Sobel for help.
Sobel is reluctant to take on
Vitti as one of his patients, but
after a little persuasion, agrees
to see what he can do for him
before a big meeting of all of
the mob bosses.
THE ENDING:
The Feds take a recording of
Vitti and edit it to make it
sound like he wants to kill Dr.
Sobel. They play it for Sobel to
convince him to work with them
and find out information about
the big mob meeting.
Vitti takes Dr. Sobel down by the
river and threatens to shoot him
because he thinks he has 'ratted'
him out to the Feds. Sobel gets
Vitti to admit that his anxiety
attacks are all due to the fact
that his mobster father was
killed and the young Vitti saw
the killers coming and didn't
warn his father. It's a
breakthrough for Vitti. He spares
Sobel's life, but paid assassins
show up and try to kill Vitti.
Vitti sends Dr. Sobel in his
place to the big mob meeting.
There, Sobel is challenged by
Primo Sindone. Sobel makes a
hilarious speech as Vitti's
'consigliari'. Sindone gets angry
and is about to shoot Sobel when
Vitti shows up. He announces that
he is quitting the 'family'.
The Feds raid the meeting and
there is a big shootout. Sobel
visits Vitti in prison, who got
18 months, and Vitti thanks the
doctor for helping him.
Dr. Sobel finally goes home to
his new wife with the real Tony
Bennett and his orchestra
serenading them outside.
WHAT EVERYONE WILL BE
TALKING ABOUT:
Joe Viterelli as Vitti's
right-hand man, 'Jelly.' He has
some of the funniest lines and
steals the movie from DeNiro and
Crystal.
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