The idea of Analyze This is inspired. It's very simple: what if a crime boss was so distraught by the pressures of his life that he had to see a psychiatrist? The crime boss is played by Robert De Niro, who has spent more time being crime bosses than a lot of actual crime bosses probably do. The psychiatrist is Billy Crystal, who knows how to wisecrack his way through sticky situations and remain absolutely convincing.

It's funny. The film remains true to the characters and lets the humor flow from their personalities and the moment. Despite the number of one-liners, one never gets the feeling that wisecracks were forced into the script just to spice it up.

Besides the two leads, there are some priceless supporting characters, including one played by Lisa Kudrow, who steals scenes simply by being ignorant of what's going on around her, and another played by Joe Viterelli, another actor who is possibly more convincing in mobster roles than real life mobsters. Viterelli's character is more than De Niro's straight man: he's a full-fledged individual and adds a nice texture to the edges of the film.