Final Analysis

Infobox_Film
name = Final Analysis


caption = Theatrical poster
producer = Executive Producer:
Richard Gere
Maggie Wilde
Producers:
Paul Junger Witt
Charles Roven
Tony Thomas
director = Phil Joanou
writer = Screenplay:
Wesley Strick
Story:
Robert H. Berger
Wesley Strick
starring = Richard Gere
Kim Basinger
Uma Thurman
Keith David
cinematography = Jordan Cronenweth
editing = Thom Noble
music = George Fenton
distributor = Warner Bros.
released = February 7 1992
(U.S.A.)
runtime = 124 minutes
country = United States
language = English
amg_id = 1:17277
imdb_id = 0104265|

"Final Analysis" (1992) is an American neo-noir drama directed by Phil Joanou and written by Wesley Strick. The executive producer were Richard Gere and Maggie Wilde. [imdb title| id=0104265| title=Final Analysis.]

The film tells of Isaac Barr (Richard Gere), a top notch San Francisco Freudian psychiatrist, who has Diana Baylor (Uma Thurman) on the patient's couch. He's treating her for frightening and horrific childhood memories which include images of her drunken father and his death in a fire for which she was blamed.

Plot

One night, the stunning Heather Evans (Kim Basinger) enters Barr's office and says she's Baylor's sister. She asks Barr for information about her sister's case.

It's implied that, as part of the treatment, Isaac speaks to Heather to find out more about her sister's past experiences and to determine if she might provide information Diana has forgotten.

Not long after Heather seduces Isaac and a steamy affair follows.

The problem: Heather is married to Jimmy Evans (Eric Roberts), a violent and wealthy gangster. She has a way of embarrassing Jimmy in public by taking a sip of wine and then flipping into an attack of "pathological intoxication," which can end with the restaurant in shambles.

Soon, we discover it's not Diana that needs the professional psychiatric help but Heather. She's trying to involve unsuspecting Isaac in a plan to murder Jimmy and collect a 4 million dollar double indemnity life insurance policy on him. She's also using Diana as bait and have Isaac framed for the murder.

Background

Given that Barr is a licensed psychiatrist, some of his actions make the audience's suspension of disbelief difficult. From the beginning Dr. Barr seems to handle the case unethically. For example, when Heather Evans enters Barr's office one night, claims to be the sister of one of his clients and starts pumping him for information, Barr complies with her request. Barr's disclosures are clear ethical violations. Also, Barr's romantic involvement with Evans is also an unethical act. In addition, during the trial can a friend of the defendant testify as an expert witness? The answer is: probably not. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/finalanalysisrkempley_a0a298.htm Kempley, Rita] . "The Washington Post," "Final Analysis," an implausible psycho thriller," February 7, 1992.]

This neo-noir is similar to a classic Hitchcockian thriller like "Vertigo" where the twists never stop until the end.

Filming locations

In Southern California filming locations include: City Hall, Downtown, Los Angeles, California.

In Northern California filming locations include: Sir Francis Drake Hotel, San Francisco; Fort Baker, Marin County; Highland General Hospital, Oakland; Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Pescadero; and Sausalito.

Cast

* Richard Gere as Dr. Isaac Barr
* Kim Basinger as Heather Evans
* Uma Thurman as Diana Baylor
* Eric Roberts as Jimmy Evans
* Paul Guilfoyle as Mike O'Brien
* Keith David as Detective Huggins
* Robert Harper as Alan Lowenthal
* Agustin Rodriguez as Pepe Carrero
* Rita Zohar as Dr. Grusin
* George Murdock as Judge Costello
* Shirley Prestia as Dist. Atty. Kaufman
* Tony Genaro as Hector
* Katherine Cortez as Woman Speaker
* Wood Moy as Dr. Lee
* Corey Fischer as Forensic Doctor
* Jack Shearer as Insurance Consultant Doctor
* Lee Anthony as Judge
* Derick Alexander as Ambulance Attendant
* Abigail Van Alyn as Night Nurse

Critical reception

Film critic Roger Ebert liked the screenplay and thought director Alfred Hitchcock, known for these types of thrillers, would have liked it as well. He wrote, "I'm a sucker for movies that look and feel like this. I like the pounding romantic music, the tempestuous sex scenes, the crafty ways that neurotic meddlers destroy the lives of their victims, and of course the handcrafted climax..." [ [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19920207/REVIEWS/202070301/1023 Ebert, Roger] . "Chicago Sun-Times," film review, February 7, 1992. Last accessed: January 18, 2008.]

Vincent Canby, film critic for "The New York Times," was pleased with the work of the actors in the film and wrote, "Mr. Gere and Ms. Basinger are attractive as the furious lovers, but Mr. Roberts is the film's electrical force whenever he is on screen. Ms. Thurman does well as a sort of up scale slavey." [ [http://movies2.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html?_r=1&title1=FINAL%20ANALYSIS%20(MOVIE)&title2=&reviewer=Vincent%20Canby&pdate=19920207&v_id=&oref=slogin Canby, Vincent] . "The New York Times," film review, February 7, 1992.]

The staff at "Variety" magazine gave the film a positive film review, writing, "Final Analysis is a crackling good psychological melodrama [from a screen story by Robert Berger and Wesley Strick] in which star power and slick surfaces are used to potent advantage. Tantalizing double-crosses mount right up to the eerie final scene." [ [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117790901.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 "Variety"] . Film review, February 7, 1992. Last accessed: January 18, 2008.]

However, many reviews were similar to film critic Kathleen Maher's views. She believes the director was painting by numbers in this thriller and repeats what's been filmed in many "film noirs" before. She wrote, "Joanou, with his puppy dog devotion to "noir" thrillers and Hitchcock, is hoping to get it all right by painting by the numbers. He's mixed parts of "Double Indemnity," "The Big Sleep," and "Vertigo," but the result doesn't even live up to "Dead Again"..." Maher also says she's seen Gere's acting like this before, and added: " [B] ut Gere reverts to that shell-shocked acting style he adopts when lost at sea." [ [http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Calendar/Film?Film=oid%3A139193 Maher, Kathleen] . "The Austin Chronicle," February 14, 1992.]

Currently, the film has a 53 percent "Rotten" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on fifteen reviews. [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/final_analysis/ "Final Analysis"] at Rotten Tomatoes. Last accessed: November 30, 2007.]

Distribution

The producers used the following tagline to market the film::"A psychiatrist and two beautiful sisters playing the ultimate mind game."

The film opened in wide release on February 7, 1992.

The box-office receipts were considered poor given the talent of Gere and Basinger, and the well regarded director. The first week's gross was $6,411,441 and the total receipts for the four week run were $22,742,734. The film was in wide release for twenty-four days.

In its widest release the film was featured in 1,599 theaters across the United Sates. [ [http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1992/0FASS.php The Numbers] box office data. Last accessed: November 30, 2007.]

Awards

Nominations
* MTV Movie Awards: Most Desirable Female, Kim Basinger; 1992.

Unwelcomed nominations
* Golden Raspberry Awards: Razzie; Worst Actress, Kim Basinger; Worst Picture, Charles Roven, Paul Junger Witt, and Tony Thomas; Worst Screenplay, Wesley Strick (also story) and Robert Berger (story); 1993.

Footnotes

External links

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