Taglines: The death of Mona Dearly wasn’t so much a whodunnit, as a who didn’t.
Drowning Mona movie storyline. Mona Dearly can’t unlock her car so, as her keys fit her son’s Yugo, she takes that and drives off. On a bend, the brakes fail completely and she drives off a cliff into the Hudson River. Clarence, fishing in the river, sees it happen. Chief Wyatt Rash observes there are no skid marks on the road.
Her long-suffering husband Phil and son Jeph, show no grief when learning of Mona’s death, an abusive, belligerent heavy drinker, loved by none. (Jeph is more concerned about his car.) Ellie Rash (Wyatt’s daughter) wants to celebrate as the Dearlys treated her fiancé (and Jeph’s business partner) Bobby badly. JB Landscaping is not doing well due to Jeph’s laziness and poor behavior.
Phil and Rona, who are having an affair, meet at the Charm Motel. He expresses happiness about Mona’s death but denies involvement. Bobby meets Murph, his older brother, who has been helping him financially. Murph suspects he had a hand in Mona’s death.
Wyatt’s investigation takes him to Jeph, who claims that Bobby threatened and attacked Mona. Lucinda, the local mechanic specializing in Yugos (driven by everyone in town) informs Wyatt that the car Mona was driving had been tampered with in multiple ways.
Drowning Mona is a 2000 American crime comedy film starring Danny DeVito as Wyatt Rash, a local police chief from Verplanck, New York, who investigates the mysterious death of Mona Dearly, a spiteful, loud-mouthed, cruel and highly unpopular woman, who drove her son’s car off a cliff and drowned in a river.
About the Story
The film’s first scene shows Mona Dearly (Bette Midler) leaving her home and trying in vain to unlock her car. Her keys fit her son’s car, so she takes that and drives off. In a bend, the brakes fail completely and she drives off a cliff into the Hudson River. This is observed by Clarence, who is fishing there. Chief Wyatt Rash (Danny DeVito) later observes that there are no skid marks on the road.
Neither her husband Phil (William Fichtner) nor Jeph (her son) seem upset when they hear about Mona’s death and they are not the only ones. Ellie (Wyatt’s daughter) even wants to celebrate, because she feels the Dearlys have always treated Bobby (her fiance and Jeph’s business partner) very badly. JB Landscaping is not doing well because of Jeph’s laziness and poor behavior. Bobby denies that he still wants to fire Jeph and that he has a problem with the Dearlys.
Phil and Rona (Jamie Lee Curtis), who are having an affair, meet at the Charm Motel. Phil expresses his happiness about Mona’s death but denies involvement. Bobby meets Murph, his older brother. Due to his financial difficulties, Bobby has been receiving money from Murph, who thinks he had a hand in Mona’s death. Wyatt’s investigation takes him to Jeph, who claims that Bobby threatened and attacked Mona. Lucinda, the local mechanic specializing in the Yugo (which everyone in town drives) informs Wyatt that Mona’s car (i.e. Jeph’s) had been tampered with in multiple ways.
Phil tells Wyatt that he was a battered husband, Mona having hit him after having accused him of having an affair. He also claims that Jeph and Mona had had an argument on the evening before the accident. Bobby tells Wyatt that he hated Mona and that they had had an argument over Jeph’s pay. Mona would not let him dissolve the partnership. Phil and Jeph leave Mona’s wake very early. Meanwhile, Wyatt breaks into the Dearly’s and finds out that Mona’s and Jeph’s car keys have been switched. Phil expresses his gratitude to Bobby for killing Mona. Bobby then confesses to Ellie that he rigged Jeph’s car, because Jeph was destroying their business. Ellie then announces that she is pregnant. This conversation is overheard by Clarence.
Phil tells Wyatt that he spotted Bobby near the Dearly residence on the night prior to the accident, claiming that he did not say this earlier because Wyatt and Bobby are soon to be family. Jeph, who it turns out is also involved with Rona, finds out about Phil’s affair with her who also finds out. Bobby tells Wyatt that Mona threatened him, not the other way around, and that he was in the Hideaway the evening before the accident, which as Valerie tells Wyatt is not true. Murph later tries to cover Bobby on this. Valerie also gives him a sharp gardening tool with the letters “JB” on it.
Drowning Mona (2000)
Directed by: Nick Gomez
Starring: Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Neve Campbell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Affleck, William Fichtner, Marcus Thomas, Peter Dobson, Will Ferrell, Kathleen Wilhoite
Screenplay by: Peter Steinfeld
Production Design by: Richard Toyon
Cinematography by: Bruce Douglas Johnson
Film Editing by: Richard Pearson
Costume Design by: Terry Dresbach
Set Decoration by: Karen Agresti
Music by: Michael Tavera
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some thematic elements, language and brief sexuality.
Distributed by: Destination Films
Release Date: March 3, 2000
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