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Orion Pictures
Not part of a collection.
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.
CinemaSerf
Jan 17, 2025 · via TMDB
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!
r96sk
Jun 6, 2023 · via TMDB
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.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Danny DeVito
Owen Lift
Billy Crystal
Larry Donner
Kim Greist
Beth Ryan
Anne Ramsey
Mrs. Lift
Kate Mulgrew
Margaret Donner
Branford Marsalis
Lester
Rob Reiner
Joel
Bruce Kirby
Detective DeBenedetto
Annie Ross
Mrs. Hazeltine
Raye Birk
Pinsky
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Olivia Brown
Ms. Gladstone
J. Alan Thomas
Millington
Randall Miller
Bucky
Andre Rosey Brown
Rosey
Tony Ciccone
Mr. Lopez
Larry McCormick
Announcer
Peter Brocco
Old Man
Barry Sonnenfeld
Director of Photography
Marilyn Vance
Costume Design
John Frazier
Special Effects Coordinator
Dana Dru Evenson
Stunts
Donna Garrett
Stunts
Marguerite Happy
Stunts
Vince Deadrick Jr.
Stunts
Danny DeVito
Director
Allegra Clegg
Production Coordinator
David Newman
Original Music Composer
Some Like It Hot
Dial M for Murder
The General
Linnan juhlat
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
The Lady Vanishes
Train of Life
Adaptation.
The Quiet Man
Stranger Than Fiction
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
The High Sign
Six Shooter
Deconstructing Harry
This Is Christmas
This Gun for Hire
The Titfield Thunderbolt
Sleepers East
The Mad Magician
The Bullet Train
Across the Bridge
Around the World in 80 Days
Breakheart Pass
O'Horten
Letters to Santa 3
Next Stop, Greenwich Village
Carry On Spying
Plucking the Daisy
Hammett
Hans Christian Andersen
Night Train for Inverness
Yella
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
Agatha
East of Sweden
She Came to Me
Susan Slept Here
Creep
Argylle
Because I Said So
We Love You, Sally Carmichael!
We Are Sorry, We Are Very Sorry
Big Driver
The Heist
Buster
A Kiss Before Dying
The Lust of Angels
Inspector of the Red Cars
Ex-Wife Killer
The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday
Winter Cherries
Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad
Le Sourire
Monster Mash: The Movie
Relentless
Once You Kiss a Stranger...
The Mimic
Kali Ma
The Fog Over Somerset Island
The Tide
Knives Out
Arsenic and Old Lace
Thieves Highway
Shadow of a Doubt
The Narrow Margin
Frequency
Shadow of the Thin Man
Family Plot
Serial Mom
Trap House
The Mechanic
Awake
The Thursday Murder Club
Red Right Hand
The Girl on the Train
The Seven-Ups
The Cheap Detective
Foul Play
Johnny Dangerously
Zero Effect
The Killer
Gunpowder Milkshake
High Heels and Low Lifes
Fun with Dick and Jane
All the Devils Are Here
Shade
The Dream Team
Excess Baggage
Cleaner
Tough Guys
Gotcha!
Breaking In
The Virtuoso
Birthday Girl
Mindcage
Night Train
Ca$h
Breathless
Brake
Hangman
Dec 11, 1987
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Feather Your Nest
1937
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1950
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Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
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1981 · 11 wins
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