Analyze That

Analyze That

Company type	Film
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	December 6, 2002 (2002-12-06)
Founder	Harold Ramis (director), Paula Weinstein (producer), Jane Rosenthal (producer)
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Products	Crime comedy film

Analyze That is a 2002 American crime comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and produced by Paula Weinstein and Jane Rosenthal. Serving as a sequel to the 1999 movie Analyze This, it features Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal reprising their roles as mob boss Paul Vitti and therapist Ben Sobel.

Following the original’s success, Warner Bros. developed this continuation, retaining much of the original cast and production team. Released on December 6, 2002, Analyze That did not meet expectations either critically or financially, earning $55 million globally against a $60 million production budget.

Plot

As his incarceration at Sing Sing nears its conclusion, Paul Vitti faces threats from assassins and corrupt prison staff. To capture the attention of psychiatrist Ben Sobel—who had previously ended their conversation abruptly—Paul sings show tunes from West Side Story.

The FBI recruits Ben to determine if Paul is malingering mental illness. After evaluations indicate a decline in Paul's mental state, the FBI authorizes a one-month release under Ben’s supervision for therapeutic purposes. During their trip from the prison, Paul confesses he was pretending.

Ben convinces Paul to pursue legitimate employment as mandated by the FBI. Paul attempts various jobs at a car dealership, restaurant, and jewelry store but is consistently dismissed due to his conduct.

Meanwhile, Patti LoPresti warns Paul that the Rigazzi family has placed a contract on his life. Declaring he is "out," Paul looks for new work and eventually becomes a technical consultant for a mafia-themed television show.

FBI agents inform Ben that Paul has reassembled his crew and may be orchestrating a significant criminal act. Growing suspicious, Ben visits Paul but they become involved in a car chase with Rigazzi hitmen; Paul manages to escape. The FBI holds Ben accountable, giving him 24 hours to locate Paul.

By tracking Paul through his son Michael—now serving as Paul's driver—Ben uncovers plans for an armored truck robbery with LoPresti’s involvement. Despite Ben’s efforts to stop it, Paul goes ahead with the heist, compelling Ben to join.

The crew attacks an armored vehicle using smoke grenades and hoists it over a fence amid confusion, stealing more than $22 million in gold bars. However, LoPresti’s men are revealed to be Rigazzi operatives.

In anger, Ben attacks one thug; Paul's men detain the others. They use the stolen gold to implicate the Rigazzi family by trapping three Rigazzi henchmen inside the armored truck suspended by a crane. This results in the Rigazzis’ arrest and averts a mob conflict.

Ben reunites with Paul and Jelly near bridges along the New York waterfront; they part amicably while singing another tune from West Side Story. The closing credits feature bloopers.

Pre-production

Originally, no sequel was planned following Analyze This, but due to its critical acclaim and box office success, producers decided to move forward with one. Billy Crystal remarked on an "unfinished relationship between Ben Sobel and Paul Vitti" alongside an engaging narrative that warranted continuation.

The storyline for the sequel was influenced by an article in The New York Times discussing psychotherapy within the mafia TV series The Sopranos. Harold Ramis found the exploration of human nature and morality compelling—especially questions about whether a criminal mind could genuinely reform—and envisioned what might occur if "Paul Vitti got out of jail and committed himself to going straight."

To enhance realism, psychiatrist Dr. Stephen A. Sands from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons acted as technical consultant, particularly advising on psychiatric sequences. Sands’ expertise included research on mobster Vincent "The Chin" Gigante’s purported mental illness. He arranged for Robert De Niro to visit Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric ward where De Niro met patients and clinicians; during filming, De Niro occasionally took part in group therapy sessions.

Filming

The production commenced in April 2002, mainly taking place in and around New York City, approximately seven months following the 9/11 events. Producer Jane Rosenthal highlighted that choosing New York as the filming location was a deliberate message of strength and business perseverance.

Significant sites featured included an Audi showroom on Park Avenue, a jewelry outlet within the Diamond District, and Gallagher's Steak House located on West 52nd Street. Scenes set in prison were captured at Riker's Island and near Sing Sing Prison. Additional key locations involved Riverside Memorial Chapel, Montclair, New Jersey for domestic scenes, alongside various Manhattan spots such as Washington Square Park and West 57th Street for the robbery sequences. High-speed car chases were shot along service roads of the New Jersey Turnpike. The sequences involving planning the heist were filmed inside an abandoned building close to West 14th Street and at a club on West 56th Street. During filming, former President Bill Clinton made a visit to the set at the New York State 369th Regiment armory.

A drive-through bank scene was recorded in Carlstadt, New Jersey. Unfortunately, during filming in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, Amanda Winklevoss passed away due to cardiac arrest linked to a drug overdose.

Director of photography Ellen Kuras sought to visually distinguish the characters’ environments by employing contrasting color schemes: cool blue tones represented Vitti’s surroundings, while warm yellows and oranges depicted Sobel’s world, mirroring their separate storylines.

Box office

Analyze That debuted across 2,635 theaters, earning $11 million during its opening weekend and securing second place behind Die Another Day. The film accumulated $32 million domestically and $23 million internationally, resulting in a global total of $55 million against a production budget of $60 million.

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 26% approval rating with an average score of 4.8 out of 10, while Metacritic reports a score of 37 out of 100. Audience feedback via CinemaScore assigned it a "B" grade.

Film critic Roger Ebert awarded it 2 stars out of 4, characterizing it as a "shallow, uninspired rehash." Additionally, it received the Worst Sequel distinction at the 2002 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.