Performances bolster a slight tale

This decidedly mean take on small town hicks has moments of delicious fascination.

Some interesting elements come together in Drowning Mona - Danny de Vito and Bette Midler, Neve Campbell and Casey Affleck, Jamie Lee Curtis and William Fichtner.... with de Vito as one of the Executive Producers...When the arch bitch of Verplanck, New York Mona Dearly - Bette Midler - fails to take a corner in her car and ends up dead at the bottom of the local river foul play is suspected by Police Chief Danny de Vito..... he`s reluctant to consider Bobby Calzone - Casey Affleck- as one of the suspects because he`s engaged to the Chief`s daughter Ellie, Neve Campbell.... Bobby is in a landscaping business with Mona`s one handed son Jeff - Marcus Thomas - who`s almost as ghastly as his mother. Mona`s husband Phil is having an affair with local waitress Rona - Jamie Lee Curtis - and so is Jeff...... as the Chief doggedly pursues his investigation, all the fingers seem to be pointing at Bobby, including Bobby`s..This decidedly mean take on small town hicks has moments of delicious fascination - we`re not so concerned with whodunnit, it`s more a case of enjoying the grotesque characters as the Chief plods his way through the witnesses...... Kathleen Wilhoite`s brief turn as the local mechanic Lucinda is a gem. Actually all the performances bolster this slight tale from director Nick Gomez, they`re all consistent within the nature of the piece.