Mental

Name: Mental
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: March 29, 2013
Duration: 116 min
Rating: 42
Cast: Anthony LaPaglia, Bethany Whitmore, Chelsea Bennett, Liev Schreiber, Lily Sullivan

2013

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 10 Ratings

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4.8

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4.8	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 10 Ratings

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Mental

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Movie Details & Credits

Dada Films | Release Date: March 29, 2013 | Not Rated

Starring: Anthony LaPaglia, Bethany Whitmore, Chelsea Bennett, Liev Schreiber, Lily Sullivan, Malorie O'Neill, Rebecca Gibney, Toni Collette

Summary: The Moochmore girls are certain they suffer from some kind of undiagnosed neurotic mental issue because if they're not crazy then they're just unpopular. Unable to cope with her peculiar daughters and Barry, her unsupportive, philandering politician husband, Shirley lives in the fantastical world of The Sound of Music. When her delusionsThe Moochmore girls are certain they suffer from some kind of undiagnosed neurotic mental issue because if they're not crazy then they're just unpopular. Unable to cope with her peculiar daughters and Barry, her unsupportive, philandering politician husband, Shirley lives in the fantastical world of The Sound of Music. When her delusions become too much to bear, Barry commits Shirley to a mental hospital and finds himself alone with five teenage girls he barely knows. Desperate, he impulsively picks up an eccentric hitchhiker named Shaz who becomes the girls' nanny and transforms their lives with her unconventional beliefs. [Dada Films]… Expand

Director: P.J. Hogan

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 116 min

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Critic Reviews

Oliver Pfeiffer

Mar 22, 2013

Packed with fine performances, this attack on suburban conformity is surprising, darkly hilarious and cleverly leaves the insanity judgement to its audience. Read full review

McClatchy-Tribune News Service Roger Moore

Mar 22, 2013

Not every cute movie about the mentally ill is Oscar worthy, but this touching and riotous one from Down Under works well enough. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Mar 22, 2013

It's always a pleasure to see Collette, a performer who always cranks up the energy, and yet here, as so often, she gives the impression of a ferocious screen intelligence somehow not being used to the full. Read full review

Marsha McCreadie

Mar 28, 2013

Mental skewers the easy-on and -off labels of psychiatry, but some sequences, particularly one of "bad dreams," are sophomoric. The movie's real mess-up was to move Shaz into melodrama at the movie's end. Read full review

Joe Neumaier

Mar 30, 2013

The cutesy energy is just too much in this Aussie comedy that’s overly bemused by its quirkiness. Read full review

Randy Cordova

Mar 28, 2013

There is a lot of yelling and emoting and it all gets strident very quickly — as in, the first 10 minutes. Hogan keeps everything self-consciously quirky, with lots of bright primary colors all over the place, but it feels like wild overkill. Read full review

Tina Hassannia

Mar 29, 2013

Given the film's garrulous multitude of characters, one wishes they would all just shut up and sing. Read full review

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User Reviews

Thegodfatherson

May 26, 2013

Oh, it's funny and absurd and creative all right! P.J direction tells me that movies don't have to be perfect, they have their own identity in indie filmmaking. Seriously, I thought this movie was going to suck but truly from my heart- I have space for P.J as a great director. The story,Oh, it's funny and absurd and creative all right! P.J direction tells me that movies don't have to be perfect, they have their own identity in indie filmmaking. Seriously, I thought this movie was going to suck but truly from my heart- I have space for P.J as a great director. The story, its metallic and full of emotion and comedy. Mental is a super funny ride that needs to be seen again and again.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

popcrtic

Mar 30, 2013

Hysterical. Interesting. Creative. Loved this movie. Loved the filmmaking, the characters, the art direction and design, the story was whacky, and, the acting was superb. Aussie's make the best movies.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

TVJerry

Mar 31, 2013

There's a family of 5 crazy girls…at least the girls think so. After their mom is sent away, dad hires a weirdo (Toni Collette) to watch them. Of course, she does lots more. This film desperately tries to be quirky and there's lots of energy propelling it in that direction. However, it justThere's a family of 5 crazy girls…at least the girls think so. After their mom is sent away, dad hires a weirdo (Toni Collette) to watch them. Of course, she does lots more. This film desperately tries to be quirky and there's lots of energy propelling it in that direction. However, it just turns out to be frantic and misguided. When things gets serious in the last 30 minutes, it becomes a bit more compelling. Still, it's simply trying too hard to be cute and charming.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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