Goofiness Keeps ‘Mona’ Afloat On Screen
Playing like a white-trash “Rashomon,” Nick Gomez’s “Drowning Mona” is a buoyant, if slight, dark comedy.
Armed with a dry, quirky wit (courtesy of Peter Steinfeld’s languidly loopy script) and a game name ensemble, this release certainly has its amusing moments.
It should, however, find a comfortable niche on video, where the names Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Neve Campbell and Jamie Lee Curtis will draw renters’ attention.
Set in quaint Verplanck, N.Y., “Drowning Mona” centers on the demise of not-so-dearly departed Mona Dearly (Midler).
When the yellow Yugo she was driving plunges into the Hudson River, Broadway-obsessed Police Chief Wyatt Rash (DeVito) launches an investigation that won’t be hurting for suspects.
Among the possibilities:
Phil (William Fichtner) and Jeff (Marcus Thomas) Dearly, Mona’s dim and dimmer husband and son who both turn out to be having a fling with weary diner waitress Rona Mace (Jamie Lee Curtis).
Then there’s Bobby Calzone (Casey Affleck), Jeff’s business partner who was constantly being bullied by Mona and her son. And, just to complicate matters, Bobby is engaged to Rash’s daughter, Ellen (Neve Campbell), who is particularly delighted about Mona’s early departure.
As the various motives start piling up faster than the picture’s wry non sequiturs, Rash certainly has his detective work cut out for himself.
Director Gomez lends a nice, visual gravity to Steinfeld’s affably oddball but plot-thin screenplay, while his crack comic ensemble takes it home.
Midler manages to make the most of what probably amounts to 10 minutes of screen time, mainly in flashbacks, and DeVito and Curtis are also fine. But the show is handily stolen by goofy father-and-son act of Fichtner (so good in “Go” as a leering cop) and Thomas, who manage to elevate acute laziness to an art form.
This sidebar appeared with the story: “Drowning Mona”
Locations: Lyons Ave., River Park Square, Spokane Valley, Coeur d’Alene Showboat Cinemas
Credits: Directed by Nick Gomez, starring Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Jamie Lee Curtis, Neve Campbell, Casey Affleck, William Fichtner, Marcus Thomas, Will Ferrell
Running time: 1:31
Rating: PG-13