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Having purchased this DVD from a discount bin, I was not expecting much for my $1.99 -- but, what a great comedy surprise!

As a die-hard Lampoon fan, I had to log on to IMDB to see if anyone else knew about this liitle gem of a movie. First of all, I love Denis Leary. I thought his ABC show, "The Job" was cuttng edge stuff for network TV. His involvement in the movie is what attracted me in the first place.

But it was Joe Mantegna (who I really didn't consider a comic actor) who totally blew me away! (Note -- this is a segmented movie, a la Woody Allen's,

Everthing You Wanted To Know About Sex...")

Joe's "Greed" segment, about a bottom-feeding reality-TV producer, actually seems to be ripped from today's headlines. The fact that this was written back in 1995 really shows the sophistication of the satire here.

Joe plays, Frank Musso, (a real-life Max Bialistak from The Producers) with a vicious and totally believable over-the-top zeal. This laugh-out-loud short (which is cock-full of suprise cameos, like David Letterman & Conan O'Brien) is worth the price of admission in itself.

Surprisingly, Leary plays a subdued version of his usual scatilogical self in the "Lust" segment -- but it's definietly sexy and enjoyable non-the-less. The piece is photographed particulary well and was also directed by Leary.

The Andrew Dice Clay segment, (that other reviewers here raved about), to me, is the weakest link of the film. Conceptually, I like the story of a guy who's so obnoxious that he's not only kicked out of heaven -- but also hell, very funny -- but the Dice-man doesn't seem to be in on the joke.

Anyway, for those satire fans out there, this is a tight, funny, anthology comedy film, that deserves to be seen and savored.

An American friend of mine who knows that I'm an extreme SCTV fan gave me a copy of this film as a gift because it stars Dave Thomas. Dave's performance here (in a dual role) really had me rolling. By far the best thing I've seen him (or any of that troupe's players) in for quite awhile. It's an extremely believable, but twisted tale about a struggling actor who is mistaken for a serial killer after he's portrayed him in a "reenactment" on an American Reality-Cop show.

One of the myriad of turnabouts in this hilarious satire is that the actual killer is so insulted at the wimpy way he is played on TV, he tracks down the actor, "subdues" him, and actually takes his place. Now he's so "convincing" in the role, that the show's ratings and the "actor's" popularity soar. It's "The Prince & The Pauper" meets "Natural Born Killers." A fast paced farce with a Terry Gilliam like flair.

"It's like de-ja-vu all over again." After watching `Analyze This,' I had a strong sense that I'd been there before. No, not from HBO's `Sopranos' -- but from yet another film with the exact same (Mob-boss-sees-shrink) premise.

Several months ago, to my unexpected delight, I caught a film on Showtime called, `The Don's Analyst' starring Kevin Pollak & Robert Loggia.

Pollak (as the pyschiatrist) was never funnier on film (much more likable than the smug, mugging Billy Crystal) and Loggia was vastly more believable as the depressed Don then DeNiro.

His comic performance here was as memorable as his dance number with Tom Hanks in, `Big.' He nailed the nuances like Nicholson nailed them in "Prizzi's Honor."

The film had that special magic ensemble quality with all the polish and panache of, `Moonstruck' (one of my all time favorites).

The sexy Sherilyn Fenn lit up the screen and the always funny Joe Bologna was in rare form.

Overall, I found, "The Don's Analyst" to be a funnier, smarter film with much more "heart." It resonated with me longer than these others who have mined the same comic vein.

Was this a little known independent that's now running on cable -- or a original cable movie that I never heard of?

Either way it speaks volumes about how sometimes big things come in small (hard-to-find) packages.

Here's one for the all underdogs. A small film that without all the hoopla, did it first -- and much better than