Paul Vitti (De Niro) is one of New York's most powerful, respected and feared gangsters. But something is wrong. He admits himself to hospital with a suspected heart attack. When the doc has the gall to tell him it's nothing more serious than a panic attack the curtains get drawn and the heavy (and somewhat lovable) bodyguard shows the doc how the boyz sorts out wiseguys.

Holy hell! The boss has a psychological problem. If word of this gets out he'll be up to his neck in cement shoes.

Mr Vitti's closest assistant, the lovable Jelly (Joe Viterelli), takes the boss to see this shrink he bumped into the day before.

Ben Sobol (Crystal) is a New York psychiatrist from a long line of New York psychiatrists who bumped into Jelly the day before. When Jelly pays him a visit in his offices the next day, Ben naturally assumes it's the dented fender that brought him in. But then, in walks the shy mobster. Shy because this is an awkward situation for a mobster to be in.

Anyway the upshot of it all is that Ben the shrink must help Paul the mobster get in touch with his feelings and overcome his problems. After all, what good is a mobster who can't whack wise guys?

It's an interesting and provocative plot but essentially a comedy. De Niro is totally believable as a New York mobster except on the couple of occasions when he breaks down and cries. I felt the acting there was a tad over done.

Crystal excels in what is essentially not a typical mould for him. Sure the movie is a comedy but Crystal is funny in his serious portrayal as the psyche who can't say no to the mobster.

The biggest downer for me was Lisa Kudrow from Friends as Ben's fiancée. This was a perfect opportunity for her to break the dumb blond mold and she blew it. So, either she really is a dumb blonde or she has been typecast.

Definitely worth checking out.