MONA, TAKING IN WATER
David Hontiveros

Drowning Mona, ostensibly a black comedy, begins by bumping off one of its most recognizable cast members, Bette Midler (the titular Mona Dearly), and immediately kicks into gear as the apparent accident quickly proves to be anything but, and Chief Rash (Danny DeVito) plunges in to investigate.

The problem is, Mona was such a shrewish harridan, no one seems to be the least bit remorseful over her death, and the rest of the ensemble cast becomes suspect in the murder most foul.

Among the quirky characters who populate this off-kilter tale are Mona’s apparently p-whipped husband, Phil (William Fichtner), Chief Rash’s soon-to-be son-in-law, Bobby (Casey Affleck, in a dirty blond ‘do), the Chief’s daughter, Ellen (Neve Campbell), and the waitress with a secret, Rona (Jamie Lee Curtis).

Perhaps the best part about Drowning Mona is the obvious fun the performers have with their less-than-likeable characters. Its shortcomings though, lie in its script (written by Peter Steinfeld). Lacking the over-the-top viciousness of Very Bad Things, Mona depends on its characters to keep the story interesting. But, though the performances are notable, the characters, as they are written, aren’t as engaging as they should be. (I can’t help but look back at last year’s Cookie’s Fortune, which not only had a respectable ensemble including Glenn Close and Julianne Moore, but the characters, as they were written, were also intriguing and involving.)

The film isn’t too much of a whodunnit either, as the identity of the culprit is rather transparent, and the eleventh hour twist doesn’t do much but muddle up the proceedings.

The most interesting portions of the film are quite possibly the characters’ recollections of Mona Dearly, where we occasionally see the same event from different points of view. It is also a noteworthy point that the only sympathetic image we see of Mona is from the Chief’s memories. Though we do see that Mona is also human after all, this singular instance is hardly enough for us to reverse our abhorrence for Mona, thus, though it serves to reinforce the police chief’s utter neutrality towards Mona, the memory itself becomes a curiosity that rudely stands out from the others.

Making the most of the wacky goings-on are Fichtner (whom most may remember as the sexually questionable cop from Go) and Curtis, De Vito not given much to do other than run around and ask questions. The younger Affleck (who appeared with big brother Ben in Good Will Hunting and 200 Cigarettes) also gamely gets into character as the much put-upon Bobby, though Campbell isn’t quite as successful, as she struggles with the accent she adopts for Ellen.

And Midler, as the film’s centerpiece, is pinpoint perfect as the absolutely horrid Mona Dearly, whose death comes as a welcome surprise to all and sundry.

An agreeable hour and a half of entertainment, Drowning Mona is fair viewing, so long as you don’t expect too much and don’t look too deeply for substance.