Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- grotesque
- compassionate
- dark comedy night
- australian cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly agreed that the film is well acted and energetically compassionate but undermined by jarring tonal shifts and inconsistent comic discipline.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film uses brash humor around mental illness and family dysfunction while retaining emotional sympathy for the Moochmores.
The Moochmore girls interpret their identities through imagined diagnoses, popularity anxieties, and their relationship with Shaz.
The suburban household, public family secrets, and unstable behavior are presented with conspicuously exaggerated comic energy.
The daughters self diagnose, Shirley is institutionalized, and Barry conceals her hospitalization from constituents.
Films like Mental, and why
The Royal Tenenbaums
Shared blackly comic treatment of family dysfunction, mental illness, and emotional distress with a strong ensemble cast.
August: Osage County
Both are eccentric family dramedies balancing grotesque humor, tenderness, and difficult interpersonal dynamics.
Little Miss Sunshine
Comparable for its coming-of-age perspective, unconventional adults, and collision of comic absurdity with serious family trauma.
The Dressmaker
Shares an Australian suburban setting, heightened comic tone, and compassionate focus on damaged outsiders.
Movie Details
- Director
- P.J. Hogan
- Release Date
- 2012-10-04
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 5.6 / 10 (86)
Cast
- Liev Schreiber
- Toni Collette
- Caroline Goodall
- Anthony LaPaglia
- Kerry Fox
- Rebecca Gibney
- Hayley Magnus
- Nicole Freeman
- Chelsea Bennett
- Bethany Whitmore
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Mental about?
- A fiercely eccentric Australian family dramedy in which an improvised nanny helps five troubled sisters confront the chaos their parents have hidden.
- What is Mental like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mental as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Mental violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Mental.
- What did critics think of Mental?
- Critics broadly agreed that the film is well acted and energetically compassionate but undermined by jarring tonal shifts and inconsistent comic discipline.
- Which films are like Mental?
- Films with a similar feel include The Royal Tenenbaums, August: Osage County, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Dressmaker.
- How long is Mental?
- Mental runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch Mental?
- In United States, Mental is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
