Mental is all over the place, hilarious one minute, annoying the next. Photo / Supplied
This outrageously irreverent Aussie comedy is an extraordinary film - hilarious one moment and grating the next. Director P.J. Hogan made his name with Muriel's Wedding and certainly isn't afraid to take risks - unfortunately, only some of them pay off here.
Toni Collette stars as Shaz, a tough and
free-spirited character hired by busy local politician Barry Moochmore (Anthony LaPaglia) to look after his five wild daughters. Their mother Shirley (Rebecca Gibney) is taking a "holiday in Wollongong" - the family's code for taking some time out in a psychiatric facility.
Shaz is a questionable choice to look after these young girls, as it soon becomes apparent she has her own demons to wrestle, but in her shrill and crass way she instils some confidence and order into the girls' lives. She also makes short work of family, neighbours, and anyone else who dares bully her charges.
The intention is obviously to draw attention to how mental illness is a common problem among everyday people. Hogan does this by giving almost everyone an affliction of some type, from schizophrenia to nervous breakdowns and delusions to obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Failing that, the characters are generally selfish bullies. They're an extreme bunch, and when they overstep the mark, as Shaz does frequently, it becomes almost unbearable to watch.
