| | | Who wanted to see Mona Darly dead? Take a number.
Features: DVD, Pan and Scan (TV Format), Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound, English, French, Subtitled
After years of driving the town crazy, Mona Dearly (Bette Midler) drove herself into a river. But when this twist of fate turns out to be an act of murder, Chief of Police Wyatt Rash (Danny DeVito) has his work cut out for him. The obnoxious Mona is survived by a town full of enemies, aka prime suspects, including her cheating husband (William Fichtner), his mistress (Jamie Lee Curtis), a heartless son (Marcus Thomas), the police chief's daughter (Neve Campbell) and her fiance (Casey Affleck). To know Mona Dearly was to hate her, and the big mystery isn't who would want to see her dead...but who wouldn't. Now, Chief Rash tries to figure out who to blame - but the town just wants to know who to thank.
"It's a wonderful off-beat comedy!" Bill Zwecker, WMAQ-TV (NBC)
Editor's Note
Director Nick Gomez is known for gritty urban street tales like LAWS OF GRAVITY and NEW JERSEY DRIVE. So while the subject matter of DROWNING MONA isn't necessarily a departure, the film's farcical tone certainly is. During the opening credits, the despicable Mona Dearly (Bette Midler) is seen driving her Yugo into the Hudson River. This sets off an investigation headed up by Chief Rash (Danny DeVito), who quickly determines that Mona was murdered. Now his problem is that everyone who knew the woman is a possible suspect. Her self-described battered husband, Phil (William Fichtner), her unnaturally dumb son, Jeff (Marcus Thomas), and her son's much-abused, good-natured landscaping partner, Bobby Calzone (Casey Affleck) all have motives. Complicating matters, Phil and Jeff were both having an affair with the same waitress (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Bobby is engaged to Chief Rash's lovely daughter, Ellen (Neve Campbell). The comedy has its dark moments--there is a grisly running joke about how Jeff lost his hand--but the energetic cast, the film's colorful palette, and quick pacing help make the film quirky fun.
| Features | Theatrical Trailers | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selections | | Director's Commentary | | Deleted Scenes with Director's Commentary | | Talent Files | | Digitally Mastered Audio & Anamorphic Video | | English 5.1 (Dolby Digital), English 2-Channel (Dolby Surround) & French 2-Channel (Dolby Surround) | | Subtitles: English, Spanish, French |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 3/23/2004 |
| Running Time: 94 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2000 | | Catalog ID: 05056 | | UPC: 00043396050563 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...Cuttingly funny..." 2/28-3/5/2000 p.39-44Premiere
"...A lot of delightful weirdness....Fruit-loopy performances..." -- 3 out of 5 stars 09/01/2000 p.85 7 of 10
...Miller provides exactly what MONA needs in order to work... - eFilmCritic.com
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