Una loca familia

I'am such a fan of Muriel's Wedding. I consider it the complete coming of age comedy, not only for Muriel herself but for Australian Comic Cinema as well. P.J Hogan provided us with a gem.

While watching Mental I couldn't help but wonder if P.J. was just trying to revisit the wondrous experience of 15 years ago and expecting it to be just a exhilarating. So much of the colour and strangeness of characters were evident. He must have been disappointed.

Sadley Mental falls well short of Muriel's. So far short that I didn't even have to rake the long jump pit. There were no foot marks.

It is not that the characters don't bring something to the film, most of the cast is terrific, it is the muddled plot and complicatedness of the character interactions which causes most disappointment.

Toni Collette (Shaz) tries hard to bring Mental out of it's intoxicated trance but nothing can save this "stinker"; not even methane and lighter fluid.

Clever, quirky, hilariously funny and with enough pathos and melancholy to really get you thinking. If you are one of the beige folk, you will hate it. If you march to the beat of your own drum and always find yourself on the side of the underdog you will love it. Mental illness is definitely not off limits and with typical Australian irreverence the subject is tackled head on. Draws some conclusions about "normality" that some people will not be comfortable with. You will recognise a few big names, but the supporting actors were all equally talented. A genuinely amazing film. Actually funnier than Muriel's wedding. Destined to become a classic, with excellent performances from all.

I love psychodramas, so the chance to see Toni Collette in a film touching on mental illness was too good to miss. I was stunned to hear that the underlying story of this movie is true! Some reviewers have labeled the plot as complicated and bumpy - and it is - sort of like real life. However the plot is less important than the characters and the underlying themes. The cast is superb, particularly Collette, Gibney and newcomer Lily Sullivan as the eldest daughter. The characters are rich and complex, except for the father (played well by LaPaglia) who is a bit too one dimensional. I preferred the way The United States of Tara handled the issue of being partner to someone with severe mental illness.

However it is the underlying issue of the way mental illness, normality and conformity are experienced and perceived in our society that shines. JP Hogan does not preach or present a one-sided view - rather we see normality as complex and nuanced. Collette plays the deeply flawed yet strangely inspirational Shaz who serves to provoke, challenge and sometimes overturn the other characters' views of normal. Modern psychiatry is neither approved nor mocked. The "normal" characters are revealed as sometimes shallow and fragile - not as normal as they seem.

The comedy ranges from subtle, to ocker, to cartoonish and melodramatic. Not everyone will like it. Some scenes are just plain absurdist.

I suspect that like Muriel, this is a multi-layered film that will actually stand up to repeated viewing. As for the tag line - well it's going to be hard not to laugh whenever my friends talk of "going to Wollongong" - and I can say that because it's where I live.

Diane and I viewed this film today and we both left the theater with virtually the same thoughts regarding it. The movie seemed to be a magnet for many hugely talented Australian actors but we both thought that the final edit was not up to the strength of that cast.

The actors in this film delivered a blameless performance and they could certainly be expected to because they are some of the best in the country. The comedy work in the first half left us both in stitches(no small thanks to Toni Collett) and La Paglia delivers his usual wonderful performance as does Gibney throughout the film. The children deserve particular credit for their work in what was to become an uneven film.

Even with these shortfalls I believe that time watching this film is time well spent; you well laugh and perhaps shed a tear at the all to familiar episodes that continually crop up in this delightful film!

Having just watched the abominable Jurassic Attack, and its appalling acting / effects / storyline I sought light relief in this movie. As with much of Aussie Humour some of it can seem crass and even bizarre (think Black Sheep), this was no different and turned out to be way better than some reviews would have you believe.

It is a very enjoyable, zany movie and the casting was very well done and they gelled perfectly it is difficult to pick out a best performance, the last movie I paid to watch was the Big Budget garbage 2012, and wanted to leave 10 minutes in feeling bad I paid to watch it, I would have left the theatre in a better mood if I had watched this instead.

Watch, enjoy and have a laugh, our crazy colonial cousins turned out a beaut :)