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Picture
A failed writer's life turns upside down when a student of his kills the writer's ex-wife and expects the writer to return the favor by killing his mother.
COMEDY

Throw Momma
​from the Train
 
(1987)

Directed by Danny DeVito

Written by Stu Silver

Starring Billy Crystal, Danny DeVito, Anne Ramsey,
​Kim Griest, Kate Mulgrew, Branford Marsalis, Rob Reiner

Oscar Nominations - Best Supporting Actress (Anne Ramsey)

Connor Eyzaguirre
February 22, 2020
8/10
If you're gonna cast Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito in a black comedy about attempted murder, there's no doubt in my mind that you're gonna end up with comedy gold. Add to that an insanely disgruntled and hateful performance from Anne Ramsey as the viciously cruel Momma, and you've got an 80's cult classic that will never go away. Throw Momma from the Train sounds absolutely ridiculous, but the strength of the performers holds this movie up, and it's definitely worth a few chuckles.

Larry Donner is a failed writer whose ex-wife stole his book and published it as hers. Now, he's creatively impotent and hates her guts. He teaches creative writing at a community college, where he meets Owen Lift (DeVito), a shy, weird little man who hates his overbearing and mean mother. Owen asks Larry how to write a good murder mystery, and through sheer idiocy, Owen thinks Larry is telling him they should take care of each other's "problems." So, Owen supposedly kills Larry's ex-wife, and now Larry has to figure out a way to flee the country and somehow get out of having to kill Larry's mother. It's a hysterical buddy comedy that never quite goes the way you think it's going to, and actually ends up being surprisingly wholesome.

There's a ton of 80's comedies that came and went, and a lot of them really aren't that funny or are just dated. But I wouldn't have expected Throw Momma from the Train to be a good one. It's hilarious, and that's mostly owed to the great onscreen chemistry between Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito, two fantastic comedians in their own right. It's currently on Prime if you feel so inclined. I'd say it's worth a watch.

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