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Throw Momma from the Train

"Owen asked his friend Larry for a small favor."

1987-12-11 Comedy 1hr 28m

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.

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Storyline

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.

  • Released
    1987-12-11
  • Revenue
    $57,915,972
  • Budget
    $14,000,000
  • Runtime
    1hr 28m
  • Genre
    Comedy, Crime
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    6.3
  • Production
    Orion Pictures

Crew

Danny DeVito
Director
Stu Silver
Screenplay
Larry Brezner
Producer
Keywords:
writer's block train overbearing mother ex-wife aspiring writer mystery writer crime fiction writer dominant mother murder swap

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Cast

Danny DeVito

Danny DeVito
Owen / Ned 'Little Ned' Lift
Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal
Larry Donner
Kim Greist

Kim Greist
Beth Ryan
Anne Ramsey

Anne Ramsey
Mrs. Lift
Kate Mulgrew

Kate Mulgrew
Margaret
Branford Marsalis

Branford Marsalis
Lester
Rob Reiner

Rob Reiner
Joel
Bruce Kirby

Bruce Kirby
DeBenedetto
Annie Ross

Annie Ross
Mrs. Hazeltine
Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey
Herself
Raye Birk

Raye Birk
Pinsky
Olivia Brown

Olivia Brown
Ms. Gladstone
Joey DePinto

Joey DePinto
Sargeant
Philip Perlman

Philip Perlman
Mr. Perlman
Stu Silver

Stu Silver
Ramon
J. Alan Thomas

J. Alan Thomas
Millington
Randall Miller

Randall Miller
Bucky
Andre Rosey Brown

Andre Rosey Brown
Rosey
Tony Ciccone

Tony Ciccone
Mr. Lopez
Larry McCormick

Larry McCormick
Announcer
Peter Brocco

Peter Brocco
Old Man
Hettie Lynne Hurtes

Hettie Lynne Hurtes
Reporter

Videos and Photos

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Throw Momma from the Train
Throw Momma from the Train
Throw Momma from the Train
Throw Momma from the Train
Throw Momma from the Train
Throw Momma from the Train
Throw Momma from the Train

Movie Reviews

Reviews for Throw Momma from the Train
reviewer avatar

A Review by r96sk 7

Written by r96sk on 2023-06-06

A little all over the place, granted, but I still felt entertained by <em>'Throw Momma from the Train'</em>. Danny DeVito stars in what i... read more

A little all over the place, granted, but I still felt entertained by <em>'Throw Momma from the Train'</em>. 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.

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 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 DeV... read more

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!

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by r96sk

A little all over the place, granted, but I still felt entertained by <em>'Throw Momma from the Train'</em>. 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 w...

reviewer avatar

A Review by r96sk 7

Written by r96sk on 2023-06-06

A little all over the place, granted, but I still felt entertained by <em>'Throw Momma from the Train'</em>. Danny DeVito stars in what is his theatrical directorial debut. I chose to watch this be...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 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 aut...

read more