An uneven black comedy about white trash, with some clever throwaway lines and visuals.

Mona Dearly (Bette Midler) is an unbelievably hateful and obnoxious wife and mother, who is killed off in the movie's first scene. She plunges off a cliff into the Hudson River, because her brakes fail.

The car she is driving is a Yugo, and the pic's locale is Verplanck, New York (north of New York City), that actually was a test market for the ill-fated economy car in the late 1970's. The film's time frame is unclear. Most of the soundtrack comes from the early 1970's, some of the hairstyles are from the late 1960's, but the logical period, based on the condition of the Yugos (driven by nearly everyone) would seem to be the mid 1980's. Perhaps stories about white trash are timeless. Either that, or the producers didn't care about such details.

It doesn't take police chief Wyatt Rash (Danny DeVito), aided by garage owner/lesbian singer-songwriter Lucinda (Kathleen Wilhoite), very long to determine that Mona's death was no accident. The car's brake lines were all cut. Unfortunately, there's no shortage of suspects, as numerous flashbacks reveal.

At the top of the list is Bobby Calzone (Casey Affleck), who has many grievances against the Dearly family. His landscaping business is facing ruin because of the antics of partner Jeff (Marcus Thomas), Mona's son. What's more, Bobby's sensitivity toward his fiancée Ellen (Neve Campbell), daughter of the police chief, is always being mocked by Mona, her husband Phil (William Fichtner), and Jeff.

Of course, Phil and Jeff aren't exactly broken up about Mona's death, either.

Adding an extra helping of sleaze is Rona Mace (Jamie Lee Curtis), a rock star wannabe waitress who's having a fling with Phil AND Jeff. You'll probably never look at the game "Wheel of Fortune" in the same way after seeing this flick.

In a sense, the pic centers around Bobby. The emotional level varies all over the place--from him being brow-beaten by the Dearlys or his brother Murph (Mark Pellegrino), to the tragicomic moment when he admits his guilt to Ellen. Much of the film plays off Bobby's sweet nature interacting with everyone else.

But, Bobby may not be guilty after all, as the convoluted plot unfolds.

There's one more aspect to this movie, that seems to have been missed by the critics. The thoughtful viewer may well reflect on just why he is laughing, and what he is laughing at. Is greatly exaggerated moronic white trash the only group that can be safely ridiculed in these politically correct times? Why the Yugos? I thought white trash drove pickup trucks. Maybe Yugo is a code word for "loser."

Is it just a coincidence that Bobby and Ellen's relationship is mostly derided, while Lucinda's pass at Ellen is handled much more delicately? Do we really need another alcoholic priest (Raymond O'Connor)?

Finally, what's with these names? Rash, Dearly, Mace, Calzone, Feege (Rash's second in command), and Cubby (the undertaker)--kind of an odd assortment, don't you think? And unless Murph is a first name, how can he be a brother to Bobby Calzone? Yeah, I know, all white trash are related because they're in-bred.

The philosophy behind Drowning Mona is not good clean fun, or even intelligent nasty fun. And that, sadly, is the point and the problem.