Rating: 
Summary: Best comedy ever!
Review: This is one of my favorite movies. I can watch it over and over and still crack up. I like dark humor and this movie is hysterical. It deserves a watch.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark Humor Aint for Everyone
Review: This is a hilarious movie. The actors in this movie should all be commended for giving subtle, laugh-your-tail off funny performances. The folks who gave it low ratings don't get dark comedy and/or were expecting typical character portrayals from the big name stars (particularly DeVito and Midler). My husband and I hadn't expected much from this film because the trailers were so cryptic and we personally aren't too into Bette Midler, but from the first to last scene we were in stitches. Example: Neve Campbell's character freaks out when her fiance (played by Casey Affleck) tells her he killed Mona. As she storms off, saying that now she has to deal with her fiance being a murderer while taking care of wedding plans, he weakly calls after her, "We need milk." Another example: Mona's two sons go to her gravestone and see that the inscription says, "Demoted mother, wife, and dressmaker." One guy looks at the other and says, "I didn't know mom was a dressmaker," and the other says, "Me neither." Although I'm sure I'm killing the humor by trying to relay it without context, comic timing, or nonverbal communication, this is the kind of humor that you'll find in "Drowning Mona." If you're offended by this kind of thing, don't bother. Everyone in the town hated Mona, so a lot of the jokes center on her death. And I've gotta' respond to reviewers who didn't see the point of the Yugos' omnipresence, even though it sort of detracts from the funniness. As a plot device, it's necessary precisely because Yugos were such cheap and unsafe cars that Mona's brakes could possibly have failed due to manufacturer error. If everyone had been driving Porches, there wouldn't have been any mystery at all. Also, you can't help but laugh when every character in the movie jumps in a colorful little bumper car, which sometimes needs a running start, to get around.
Rating: 
Summary: My friends took it, I left it
Review: I rented this video with my four girlfriends on one of our annual weekends away. Three of us fell asleep and thought it was a horrible movie (and I'm a Bette Midler fan). The other two laughed their heads off and swear to us that it is the best movie ever. We tease each other about it to this day (two years later).
Rating:
Summary: Great acting and a near perfect story
Review: It will go without saying five minutes into this movie that it is unlike any other movie you've seen. This sometimes dark, sometimes slapstick, sometimes subtle comedy boasts one of the most intriguing casts to date. There are a number of recognizable faces, Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Jamie Lee Curtis (to name a few), that brighten up the screen just that much. But to be honest, it was the roles played by Casey Affleck, Marcus Thomas, and William Fichtner especially that made 'Drowning Mona' so enjoyable for me. The movie itself goes back and forth between present time and flashbacks containing moments of a living Mona Dearly, who dies rather abruptly at the very beginning of the film. I think too many people say the plot it predictable. I was more than entertained for the entire movie and I never actually KNEW who actually killed Mona. Sure I had my predictions, and who doesn't. The point is that the movie's very funny and actually quite smart. Once we see Mona Dearly fly over a cliff in a car, the sense of craziness sets in. Your basic human instincts will at first allow you to feel bad for Mona (I hope). But once you see every person in town partying and laughing over her "timely" death, you can't help but play along. The part where Jeff, Mona's son played by Marcus Thomas, asks the police why Mona was driving his car while popping open a beer is absolutely priceless! The main characters in the film are Bobby Calzone (Casey Affleck) and Chief Rash (DeVito). Chief Rash is the only person in town who cares about Mona's death. Well, maybe it's more that it's his job than he really cares. Heck, even his co-workers could care less. Bobby also (kind of) feels sorry for Mona, but is allowed to laugh and enjoy the situation thanks to his fiancé Ellen (Neve Campbell). So for most of the movie, Rash just drives around in his Geo--take note of the opening disclaimer--and asks townies questions about what kind of person Mona truly was. The responses are all hilarious. I could go into great detail with almost 50 different quotes or scenes that back up the fact that Mona Dearly was a horrible person who deserved to die. But I just don't have the time. You really have to hear/see them to believe it. As I hinted to, William Fichtner's performance as Phil Dearly is hands down the best. He plays the ill-fated-but-happily-sorrowing-over-the-worst-person-he'd-ever-met husband. He is a very suspicious character, and seems to know something that no one else does. He puts the blame on Bobby Calzone, who is one of the most harmless people you could ever meet. What makes this particularly interesting is that Bobby is the future son-in-law of Chief Rash. So that is very hard for Rash, and us, the viewer, to believe. 'Drowning Mona' is pretty much a "whodunit" movie with a twist that makes you laugh and think at the same time. I guess I can't rebuff the fact that the storyline becomes predictable over time. And that's the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars. But you'll still be impressed with the shifts between past and present and definitely the comedy. There's also an excellent cameo from former SNL star Will Ferrell. I won't spoil the rest. If you enjoy Danny DeVito's work and/or a good comedy with bizarre twists, then you will love 'Drowning Mona'. The acting by everyone is unquestionably flawless; and the only thing that doesn't excite is its ill-timed predictability. Once more, take special note of William Fichtner and Marcus Thomas. Being that they are the "family members" makes it just that much funnier. There's really no other movies available that are comparable to this one. And that's certainly a good thing for some. But if you dwell in straightforwardness and don't appreciate the idea of thinking, you might not enjoy this one. It's crazy, it's hilarious, it's silly, it's well thought-out, but most importantly it's time well spent. I highly recommend this to anyone who'd enjoy an innovative comedy or likes any of the actors or actresses in the cast list. Don't overlook this one.
Rating:
Summary: Drowning Mona - *** Stars
Review: It sounds like a funny idea. It's filled with people expert at being funny. It really wants to be funny. It tries hard to be funny. It isn't very funny. The black comedy concept and the stellar cast of "Drowning Mona" raises expectations for a rich fount of laughter but, though some of the more off-beat dialogue might raise a titter and some of the crasser moments a faint guffaw, basically this film--like its title character--is dead in the water. Bette Midler, despite a proliferation of flashbacks, doesn't really have enough screen time to round out the awfulness of Mona, a woman so lacking in human kindness it's a wonder someone hadn't done away with her even earlier. Meeting her demise in the opening moments of the movie, we are left to speculate on the killer as we re-visit the transgressions of the victim, who was the focus of the frustrations and fears of a bunch of small-town characters. Unfortunately those characters also seem pretty one-dimensional and the uneven tone of the movie fails to find enough high style to elevate them beyond cliché, though several of the actors give it their best. Danny DeVito, Neve Campbell and Jamie Lee Curtis all have the surety of star power and the confidence to seem truthful even amid awkward artifice.
Some of the better moments of the movie are the simple, more realistic ones, such as DeVito, the police chief, dining at the cafe with Campbell, his beloved daughter who might know more than is good for her about the murder, while Curtis, the usually edgy waitress, makes nice for her own personal reasons. Curtis, in particular, has a real ability to find honesty within exaggeration, but the limitations of the crudely wrought script truncate her talent. Also this very New Jersey story is not helped by the location where the film was shot, which, despite all the best efforts of cast and crew, looks like California because it was. However, the film contains a lot of lively '70s pop music, which does contribute more successfully towards the sense of a time-warped town with outdated values, a theme which, more insightfully developed, might have raised that anticipated laughter.
Rating: 
Summary: Bette Midler as Royal "Pain" with 9 Lives
Review: Bette Midler, once again playing herself, gives everybody and their brother daily doses of annoyance. An entire family, including the in-laws want to do away with "Mona". Set among trailer park country bumbkins, the story is one rollercoaster ride of physical and mental abuse. Fans of Bette Midler and Danny DeVito may have the stomach to sit through this whole fiasco. Comedy fans with somewhat lofty standards may want to pass on this jumbled-up non-sense. A few quick laughs will keep you from getting angry about your time investment, but most folks sure can do much better than this. It'll do in a pinch.**
Rating:
Summary: I only watched part of it.
Review: I only watched part of it because that was all that I could get through. Bette Midler is only in it for a few minutes.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless
Review: I first caught this movie when it was running on a movie channel on TV. I went out and bought it the next day -- I've never done that before. This has to be one of the most hilarious and entertaining movies I own. No one could have played Mona better than Bette Middler, and the acting of William Fitchner and Danny DeVito make the movie... not to mention the vulnerable Bobby played by Casey Affleck whose blond wig is priceless. The yugo gag, the way these backwards-arsed country folk are portrayed as well as the fine choice of music such as "In the Summertime" by Mungo Jerry, and the bit played during Ellie's panic make this movie one that I'm prod to show friends I have over. If you like to laugh and giggle, give Drowning Mona a spin.
Rating:
Summary: edging rapidly for five stars
Review: I didn't expect much when I purchased this. I had just flipped through a very bad movie and put this while debating turning off the DVD. It was funny. It was well done. It was enjoyable. Big one... I was glad I spent the money on it. The style of filming was similar to a documentary on site. After I adjusted to that thought the movie flowed. As stated by others it is dark but not as dark as they could have made it. In the DVD edition they show edited scenes. They could have gone darker and used those scenes and others retaining the comedy. That is the main reason I won't give it a five. It had the potential to be much more than what they produced esp with the actors they had. A second watching is great for catching things you missed. Worth looking at or in my case worth keeping.
Rating:
Summary: Better than 3 stars, but less than 4 (maybe)
Review: Bette Midler is Mona, one of the most unpleasant, cruel, sadistic, and crude people you could imagine. Somebody killed her, but who? The whole town wanted to, and most had the opportunity and no alibi. So, Danny DeVito is the mild-mannered sheriff who has to find the truth. This is a strange movie. The closest comparison is to Fargo, but that's still a ways off. Everyone is a caricature, everyone drives a Yugo, and few of the people in the small town are likeable or trustworthy (and even they are worthy of watching out for). It's not a brilliant movie, and it's not brilliantly acted, but it still grabs you, and it's still memorable. I'm glad I have it in my stack.
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