ComedyCrime

Throw Momma from the Train

- Owen asked his friend Larry for a small favor.

Larry Donner, an author with a cruel ex-wife, teaches a writing workshop in which one of his students, Owen, is fed up with his domineering mother. When Owen watches a Hitchcock classic that seems to mirror his own life, he decides to put the movie's plot into action and offers to kill Larry's ex-wife, if Larry promises to murder his mom. Before Larry gets a chance to react to the plan, it seems that Owen has already set things in motion.

Release Date : 1987-12-11

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Orion Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Owen / Ned 'Little Ned' Lift

Original Name : Danny DeVito

Gender : Male

Character Name : Larry Donner

Original Name : Billy Crystal

Gender : Male

Character Name : Beth Ryan

Original Name : Kim Greist

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mrs. Lift

Original Name : Anne Ramsey

Gender : Female

Character Name : Margaret

Original Name : Kate Mulgrew

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lester

Original Name : Branford Marsalis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joel

Original Name : Rob Reiner

Gender : Male

Character Name : DeBenedetto

Original Name : Bruce Kirby

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Hazeltine

Original Name : Annie Ross

Gender : Female

Character Name : Herself

Original Name : Oprah Winfrey

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pinsky

Original Name : Raye Birk

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ms. Gladstone

Original Name : Olivia Brown

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sargeant

Original Name : Joey DePinto

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Perlman

Original Name : Philip Perlman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ramon

Original Name : Stu Silver

Gender : Male

Character Name : Millington

Original Name : J. Alan Thomas

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bucky

Original Name : Randall Miller

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rosey

Original Name : Andre Rosey Brown

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Lopez

Original Name : Tony Ciccone

Gender : Male

Character Name : Announcer

Original Name : Larry McCormick

Gender : Male

Character Name : Old Man

Original Name : Peter Brocco

Gender : Male

Character Name : Reporter

Original Name : Hettie Lynne Hurtes

Gender : Male

Reviews

r96sk

@r96sk

2023-06-06

A little all over the place, granted, but I still felt entertained by 'Throw Momma from the Train'. Danny DeVito stars in what is his theatrical directorial debut. I chose to watch this because of him being in it, as I want to watch more of his stuff, and he is the film's strongest element, I'd say. Billy Crystal is good too, him and DeVito work nicely together throughout. Anne Ramsey's character annoyed me a lot, I can't lie. I'm actually flabbergasted to read that the performance got Ramsey an Oscar nomination - 1987 must've been a slow year for Best Supporting Actress. No hate for Ramsey though, btw - happy for her! I know Momma is supposed to be annoying, but she's way too far along that particular scale for me. The aforementioned is my only complaint, however. It's a good time otherwise, even if I feel like it meanders here and there in setting up each part of the story. It's all worthy of your time, mind.

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2025-01-17

Though she doesn't really feature enough, Anne Ramsey does steal the show with her scenes as the mother whom henpecked son "Owen" (Danny DeVito) wants to chuck from the train! Meantime, stagnating author "Larry" is shouting as the television whilst his ex-wife "Margaret" (Kate Mulgrew) is doing the chat show circuit with a book he claimed to have written. He would cheerfully see her dead, and that's exactly what happens when his student "Owen" takes advantage of a scenario on a luxury yacht. Thing is, he owns up to "Larry" and demands - à la "Strangers on a Train" (1951) - a quid pro quo. "Larry" isn't keen on becoming a murderer though, but having encountered the harridan mother first-hand and having become a police suspect in the demise of his former wife he might find his options limited! I'm not really a lover of buddy comedy as such. Usually the scenarios are so obviously contrived to get a series of laughs before a dead cert conclusion that you could have written them yourself. This one isn't really very different on that front, but DeVito and Crystal do work well together keeping the story from becoming too formulaic and at times it provides quite a poignant assessment of friendship and marriage. I had forgotten just how big Oprah's hair was in the 1980s!