Alright, fellow tapeheads, gather ‘round. Sometimes, browsing those dusty shelves at the local video palace (remember those?) unearthed something truly… peculiar. Not your standard blockbuster fare, not quite a straight-up cult classic, but an oddball entry that stuck with you precisely because it was so darn strange. Slipping into the VCR (or maybe, okay, the early DVD player by this point – time marches on!) for a late-night viewing, you might have stumbled upon 2000’s darkly comic mystery, Drowning Mona. And if you did, you probably remember two things: Bette Midler being utterly monstrous, and Yugos. So, so many Yugos.
Welcome to Verplanck, Please Drive Carefully (Especially Near Water)
The setup is pure black-comedy gold: Mona Dearly (Bette Midler, relishing the chance to play utterly unlikable) is the most despised woman in the sleepy town of Verplanck, New York. When her canary-yellow Yugo takes an unexpected plunge into the river with her inside, the reaction isn't grief, but a collective shrug and a quiet round of "well, it's about time." Tasked with unraveling this not-so-tragic mystery is Police Chief Wyatt Rash (Danny DeVito, radiating his signature weary charm). The catch? Every single person in town seems to have had a motive, from her browbeaten husband Phil (William Fichtner, perfectly twitchy) and son Jeff (Marcus Thomas) to waitress Rona (Jamie Lee Curtis, having a blast) and Jeff's landscaping partner/girlfriend Ellen (Neve Campbell, fresh off Scream 3 and leaning into the film's quirky tone).
The genius, or perhaps madness, of the film lies in its commitment to this central joke: Mona was so awful that her demise barely registers as a crime. It’s more like pest control. This allows director Nick Gomez, usually known for grittier fare like 1995's New Jersey Drive, to explore a Coen-esque landscape of small-town secrets and simmering resentments, albeit with a much broader comedic brush.
Yugo See This Cast
What really makes Drowning Mona worth popping in the player, even now, is the sheer joy of watching this ensemble cast bounce off each other. DeVito anchors the film as the bewildered but determined chief, navigating a sea of potential suspects who are more annoyed than scared. Midler, appearing mostly in flashbacks that paint a portrait of escalating awfulness, is clearly having the time of her life playing pure vinegar. It's a far cry from her tear-jerking turns in films like Beaches (1988), showcasing her incredible range even when playing someone utterly irredeemable.
Supporting players like Campbell, Curtis, and a young Casey Affleck as Ellen's sweetly dim brother Bobby add layers to the town's eccentricities. Everyone feels slightly off-kilter, perfectly fitting the film's peculiar mood. Peter Steinfeld's script, which reportedly spent some time on the infamous "Black List" of well-regarded but unproduced screenplays, provides plenty of darkly funny lines, even if the overall mystery isn't exactly Agatha Christie.
But About Those Cars...
Okay, let's talk Yugos. The film's most distinctive visual element is that everyone in Verplanck drives this notoriously unreliable Yugoslavian import. It's a bizarre, almost surreal touch that instantly sets the town apart. This wasn't just a random choice; it was a core concept. Retro Fun Fact: The production reportedly bought up around 40 Yugos, many in various states of disrepair, specifically to create this unique automotive landscape. It’s a brilliant piece of production design that adds immeasurably to the film's quirky identity, suggesting a town economically (and perhaps stylistically) stuck in a very specific, slightly unfortunate rut. It's the kind of weird, committed visual gag you didn't see every day, even back then. Imagine pitching that today!
A Misfire or a Misunderstood Gem?
Upon release, Drowning Mona didn't exactly set the box office ablaze (making back just under its estimated $16 million budget) and critics were sharply divided, often finding the tone uneven. And yeah, it’s not perfect. Some jokes land harder than others, and the central mystery wraps up a little too neatly perhaps. It lacks the razor-sharp wit of the Coens or the outright zaniness of a Farrelly Brothers flick.
But dismissing it entirely feels wrong. There's an undeniable charm to its strangeness, a commitment to its bleakly funny premise. It feels like a film slightly out of time, a hangover from the 90s indie boom trying to find its place in a new millennium. For those of us who haunted video stores looking for something different, Drowning Mona was exactly the kind of discovery that made the hunt worthwhile. It might not have the practical effects fireworks we usually crave here at VHS Heaven, focusing instead on character quirks and situational absurdity, but its dedication to its unique vision feels very much of that era.
Rating: 6/10
Justification: The score reflects a film brimming with cult potential thanks to a game cast (especially Midler and DeVito) and a truly memorable visual gimmick (the Yugos!). However, its tonal inconsistencies and a mystery that fizzles slightly keep it from reaching classic status. It’s a solid rental-night discovery, flawed but undeniably unique.
Final Take: Drowning Mona is like finding that weirdly flavored soda at the back of the convenience store cooler – maybe not your everyday choice, but memorable for its sheer, baffling audacity. A quirky curio powered by star charisma and automotive absurdity.