Dr. Ben Sobel is a psychiatrist and one night he is involved in a crash with Jelly who just happens to work for mob boss Paul Vitti. As he begins to unravel he needs to see a doctor and that man is Sobel!
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Ben Sobel struggles to deal with his father who is also a psychiatrist and very popular. He is getting ready to remarry and everything is around those couple of days as everything is ruined for himself and Laura. Something obviously Laura is not impressed with but how does he turn down a mob boss who does not take no for an answer?
Paul Vitti was getting ready for a big meet up of the different families in NYC and begins to have panic attacks. His trusted man Jelly has Sobel's business card and that is how they first meet. Although Vitti doesn't really seem to have any idea about boundaries but is very taken with Sobel.
This does create for a very funny and amusing film with plenty of different styles of comedy. We get the one liners that work so well both ways and we also get some slapstick moments as well. Linking the mob to ruining a wedding for whatever reason does work out as being very funny.
Robert De Niro is a terrific actor and he is very well matched with Billy Crystal. They bring out very good and impressive performances in each other. This was something that I was expecting in all honesty as while I have been playing catch up with De Niro's career my first film seeing him in was probably Meet the Parents so the comedy side is not really something new to me. Although having seen more of his mob roles I think it makes me appreciate how he decided to go tongue in cheek for this role. Crystal is one of my favourites due to my love for When Harry Met Sally. At times in this film he plays the straight guy to De Niro and it really does just work.
I guess for Robert De Niro that this was the start of this style of comedy which pokes a little bit of fun at his past roles. Especially when you think about the dream sequence of The Godfather and when Crystal tells him he was Fredo the response was not likely. Although if I hadn't recently done a rewatch of that film I probably wouldn't have appreciated that joke as much as I did.
In terms of support I was happy to see Lisa Kudrow in this film and I think I actually forget she has been in quite a lot of films over the years and probably goes under the radar for that from the Friends cast. An absolute scene stealer had to be Joe Viterelli as Jelly, he was just always there and really did help create some comedy moments.
Directed by Harold Ramis and I have to admit that from the films I have seen him direct I really enjoy them so maybe this is something I should look to do and watch some of his others in the future.
