Robert De Niro plays an anxiety-ridden mob boss who seeks psychological help. The mere idea of that premise is enough to recommend Analyze This. Fortunately, the content is just as great as the concept. "Stress is a very powerful force," says Ben Sobel, the mobster's psychiatrist, and the film applies that psychological tenet to a conflicted, over-stressed mobster. The Sopranos will forever be the crowned king of mobster psychoanalysis, but Analyze This was kind of brilliant to develop the premise into a comedy so funny and, surprisingly, so believable -- because, let's face it: No one is more stressed out than a Made Man.

Analyze This, directed by Harold Ramis with the assuredness of the comedy pro he is, is actually a very ambitious proposition: a mob comedy that steeps itself deeply within the cinematic world of much more serious crime sagas. Of course the film is funny. In fact, it's one of Ramis' funniest films ever, but what separates it from other broader, more one-note gangster comedies is its willingness to get its hands dirty. Ramis and co-writers Peter Tolan and Kenneth Lonergan don't shy away from the hard-boiled elements that define most mob epics -- the film's language is pervasively vulgar, and its violence is oftentimes just as menacing as if the film were another Casino. Combine that with the brilliant casting of De Niro, Chazz Palmenteri, Joe Viterelli, and countless other crime saga stalwarts, and you have a film that could easily work without the comedy, if the comedy weren't so damned funny. It's a Scorsese cast playing in a Harold Ramis world.

De Niro plays Paul Vitti, head of a vaunted New York mob family who happens to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. When a good friend and longtime partner is murdered, his anxiety goes into overdrive. The simple-minded thug is dead-set on believing what he experienced was a heart attack, since it would be a major sign of weakness for New York's most feared crime boss to be suffering anxiety attacks.

Enter Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal), a psychiatrist with a thriving practice, a beautiful fiancée (Lisa Kudrow), an acerbic teenage son, and a lack of motivation. After a chance fender-bender with members of Vitti's crew, Sobel gives his business card to Vitti's right-hand man, Jelly (Viterelli, one of the most wonderful parts of the film). Instead of calling Sobel back for insurance information, Vitti barges in on one of his private sessions and insists he begin counseling the fragile mob boss.

The beauty of Analyze This is how it plays to the strengths of both its stars. De Niro is clearly having fun putting a twist on what has become a standard role, but he is still allowed to craft a believable tough-guy persona similar to some of his work in Scorsese pictures. Crystal turns Sobel into one of his best comic creations, mixing trembling wimpiness with the spot-on deadpan sarcasm that defines his comic genius. Blending these two entirely divergent styles and personalities works better than one could ever expect -- the two actors form an uncanny comic rhythm and unexpected chemistry. Their interplay becomes so familiar and yet still so funny that by the end, it's almost effortless schtick. They could take this act on the road.

Without the right material, however, the actors would be left to crack jokes and mug for the camera, and thankfully, Analyze This has material that matches the high level of its actors. De Niro has made several forays into comedy over the last decade, but most of them have been colossal bombs and/or paycheck projects. Analyze This is a real movie, a serious comedy -- it derives its wealth of humor from a clear-eyed, well-written screenplay with real characters and believable drama. It allows for legitimate moments and real performances: It's just as legitimate as a serious gangster movie -- and a lot more fun.



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