Countless wiseguy films are spoofed in this film that centers on the neuroses and angst of a powerful Mafia racketeer who suffers from panic attacks. When Paul Vitti needs help dealing with his role in the "family," unlucky shrink Dr. Ben Sobel is given just days to resolve Vitti's emotional crisis and turn him into a happy, well-adjusted gangster.
Moments and lines are so perfect that they linger in the mind.
– Mick LaSalle,
San Francisco Chronicle,
18 Jun 2002
rotten:
What we learn -- yet again -- is that potentially terrific comedies are often whacked by filmmakers who feel the need to spread a little therapy themselves.
– Peter Rainer,
New York Magazine/Vulture,
7 Aug 2004
rotten:
What De Niro ends up doing is simply burlesquing himself, much as he would do if he were guest-hosting Saturday Night Live.
– Jeff Millar,
Houston Chronicle,
21 Jul 2005
rotten:
The comedy is heavy and the use of the stars lazy and cliched...
– Geoff Andrew,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
rotten:
[De Niro and Crystal] would seem to be perfectly cast as this oddest of odd couples, but something has gone wrong with the comic chemistry.