Drowning Mona (2000)

When a woman drives a car into the river to her death, everyone in town becomes a suspect.

Director:

Nick Gomez

Writer:

Peter Steinfeld

Stars:

Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Neve Campbell

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Danny DeVito	...	Chief Rash
Bette Midler	...	Mona Dearly
Neve Campbell	...	Ellen
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Rona
Casey Affleck	...	Bobby
William Fichtner	...	Phil Dearly
Marcus Thomas	...	Jeff Dearly
Peter Dobson	...	Feege
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Lucinda
Tracey Walter	...	Clarence
Will Ferrell	...	Cubby
Paul Ben-Victor	...	Carlucci
Paul Schulze	...	Jimmy D.
Mark Pellegrino	...	Murph
Raymond O'Connor	...	Father Tom

Storyline

Mona Dearly, a spiteful, loud-mouthed, unpopular woman, dies when the car she is driving plunges off a cliff and into a river near the small upstate New York town where she lives. Wyatt Rash, the local police chief, investigates and suspects foul play in Mona's death. The whole town is suspect, including Wyatt's daughter Ellen, who is about to marry landscape artist Bobby Calzone, whose business suffers from his lazy business partner, Jeff, Mona's slow-witted son, as well as waitress Rona Mace, who was having an affair with Mona's husband.

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Plot Keywords:

drowning | suspect | waitress | crying woman | lawn mower | 

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Taglines:

The death of Mona Dearly wasn't so much a whodunnit, as a who didn't.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements, language and brief sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drowning Mona

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$37,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,802,229, 5 March 2000

Gross USA:

$15,506,764

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,910,104

Company Credits

Production Co:

Code Entertainment, Jersey Shore, Marigold Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Every character's automobile has personalized plates.

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Goofs

When Rona and Phil meet in the cabin for the first time, the board game lying on the bed repeatedly changes position between shots.

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Quotes

Chief Wyatt Rash: My mother always used to say, "When life hands you potatoes, make potato salad!"
Mona Dearly: Yeah? Well life handed me a whole pile a' shit! What am I supposed to make outta that?
Phil Dearly: Shit salad?

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Connections

Spoofs An Innocent Man (1989)

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Soundtracks

Gimme Dat Ding
Written by Albert Hammond (as Albert Louis Hammond) and Mike Hazlewood (as Michael Edward Hazlewood)
Performed by The Pipkins
Courtesy of Chrysalis Copyrights Ltd.

User Reviews

Underrated gem...

I believe that this movie was panned when it first came out, and I don't know why. It is truly an underrated comedic gem that deserves more recognition. The performances are perfect (with the exception of Campbell) and the dialogue is hysterical.

William Fichtner steals the show as the sleazy "battered husband." His performance is tops in a stellar cast. Marcus Thomas is excellent as his son and lazy landscaping partner to Affleck, who is marvelous as the nervous and long-suffering lead. Will Ferrell puts in a great cameo as a creepy mortician.

Are there flaws? Of course. As another comment mentioned, Tracy Walter's character, Clarence, could have been developed more. Also, some the other characters' run-ins with Mona probably could've been better detailed as well, and the resolution isn't the most satisfying. But this movie is less about the plot and more great characterizations and riotous dialogue.

I own the DVD and I roll with laughter every time I see it, even though I practically have it memorized. This movie should be remembered as