Drowning Mona wasn’t a particularly popular or, as far as I remember, very well advertised film made in 2000. It’s not so much that it’s offbeat or surreal as just downright odd, and I think that’s part of the reason for its lack of popularity. As for myself, I rather liked the fact that it was different to most films and quite enjoyed it, but perhaps not enough to want to watch it again. Then again…

The plot is of a woman, Mona (Bette Midler) being murdered – maybe – and it is the thankless task of the police Chief Wyatt Rash (Danny DeVito) to find out if it was murder, and if so who the murderer is. This is made much more difficult due to the fact that she was extremely unpopular and almost everyone in the village had a motive for bumping her off. Compounding Rash’s enquiry further are an incredibly inept police department and the fact that everyone in the village has their own, very different version of events – both related and unrelated to the murder – with no means of verifying the veracity of the stories. Affairs behind closed doors, and others that are presumed secret but aren’t, along with Rush’s own daughter Ellen (Neve Campbell) getting involved in the case make the already difficult task of solving the murder become nigh on impossible…

Despite a fair number of stars in this film (not only DeVito, Midler, and Campbell, but also Jamie Lee Curtis and Will Ferrell), Drowning Mona is a film I’d barely heard of and one that was selling for just £1 at The Works. Director Nick Gomez has had quite a bit of success as a director of TV series (mainly detective or police series) but has been at the helm of few films. This film perhaps illustrates why – he didn’t seem to know quite what he was aiming for. The cast, both the stars and the lesser known actors, gave pretty good performances and the idea was quite intriguing, but far too many jokes and intended humorous scenes just fell completely flat. There were a few good laughs in here and a number of scenes where I was left wondering if I should be laughing or not. It would probably appeal to you if you have exactly the right sort of odd sense of humour, but it was very hit on my particular odd sense of humour. From the look of the series Gomez has directed I would say that he has a rather more serious style usually than was shown in this movie, which is perhaps part of the reason he didn’t quite get it right here.

Drowning Mona wasn’t a complete loss though. There were some funny parts and, though not all of it “worked”, at least it tried to do something genuinely different and was quite a refreshing change as a result. As a result it is marginally recommended, if you’re bored of standard Hollywood fare watch this if you’re in the mood for something a little… unique. For a quid you won’t be losing much money even if you end up hating it.

Rated PG-13 (12 in the UK though you may find the DVD version shows as 15, possibly due to language on the commentary track) for some thematic elements, language and brief sexuality. Not for younger children but not much potentially offensive content here. Runtime: 95 minutes.


If you’re looking for something funnier, try one of my Top Ten Comedies.



Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older