Mental As Anything Documentary Sets Premiere Date Amid 50th Anniversary

The feature documentary Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story will be released theatrically across Australia on 5 March 2026, as the band reforms for a 50th Anniversary national tour with original members Reg Mombassa and Peter O’Doherty.

With 22 Top 40 hits, including Live It Up, If You Leave Me Can I Come Too?, and The Nips Are Getting Bigger, Mental As Anything is one of the country’s most loved and successful bands. Pioneers of absurd music videos, they played over 3000 gigs and left behind nine eclectic albums. 

With never before seen archival footage and exclusive interviews with Reg Mombassa, Martin Plaza, Peter O’Doherty, David Twohill and the band’s inner circle Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story is written and directed by Matthew Walker, (whose documentary I’m Wanita won Best Australian Documentary at the Sydney Film Festival in 2021), with Paul Clarke (Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line, John Farnham: Finding The Voice) as supervising writer and post producer.  

In making the announcement, Reg Mombassa said, “It's slightly weird to think that we started the Mentals 50 years ago but that's how time works.  The film captures the humour and the energy and the art and personalities of the band members. I am grateful that I was able to be in an interesting and popular band and I feel proud of our legacy.”

Peter O’Doherty added, “I joined the band at the age of 19 and we were grafted together like a second family.  This film captures the essence of what it was like to be in an Australian band in the 70s, 80s and 90s and I’m reminded of how chaotic, creative, funny, and intense it all was.”

Writer and director Matthew Walker said, "Growing up in the 80s, Mental as Anything was a part of everyday suburban life. As a kid, it seemed normal and correct that they existed, dressed in tin foil,  singing unforgettable songs that made you happy. Later, you realise how great those songs were and how much of an impact they had. This film is a celebration of the magic of The Mentals and their extraordinary story and is well overdue for the big screen."

Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story is a Beyond Entertainment production in association with People Productions. Principal production funding from Screen Australia, in association with Screen NSW. Local distribution by Bonsai Films. International sales by Banijay Rights. Post, digital and visual effect supported by Screen NSW. 

To mark the Mental As Anything 50th Anniversary, the feature documentary will have its world premiere on 24 February at the Cremorne Orpheum, followed by a special Q&A with the band. The film is being theatrically released across Australia by Bonsai Films on 5 March 2026 with Banijay Rights managing international sales.

Photographer: Jeremy Fabinyi/Credit: Syray