Drowning Mona (2000)

When a much hated shrew (Bette Midler) in a small town dies under mysterious circumstances, the police chief (Danny DeVito) investigating the case discovers there's no shortage of suspects. Even the woman's husband (William Fichtner) and son (Marcus Thomas) show no grief over her death. This is a perfect example of black comedy. It's uneven in its execution but for the most part, it's on the nose. The screenplay by Peter Steinfeld is often subtle enough that something might slip by you that you catch the next time round. The direction by Nick Gomez lets the characters get all frantic while keeping the hysterics under his tight control. No one does a comic bitch better than Bette Midler and she's in fine form here, you can see why everyone hates her and if there's ever such a thing as justifiable homicide, she's it. But the one showing the most expertise in comedic timing and delivery is Jamie Lee Curtis as a chain smoking waitress. The comedy is capacious but the film can only work if its played that way. Also in the cast: Neve Campbell, Casey Affleck, Will Ferrell, Melissa McCarthy, Kathleen Wilhoite and Tracey Walter.