IMDb > Throw Momma from the Train (1987)
Throw Momma from the Train
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Throw Momma from the Train (1987) More at IMDbPro »

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Throw Momma from the Train (1987) -- A bitter ex-husband. A put upon Momma's boy. Both want their respective spouse and mother dead, but who will pull it off?

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Overview

User Rating:
6.1/10   11,240 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Stu Silver (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Throw Momma from the Train on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 December 1987 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Owen asked his friend, Larry, for a small favor...
Plot:
A bitter ex-husband. A put upon Momma's boy. Both want their respective spouse and mother dead, but who will pull it off? full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Guide to movie twists
 (From JoBlo. 21 October 2009, 2:39 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
A fun black comedy/thriller more (58 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Danny DeVito ... Owen

Billy Crystal ... Larry

Kim Greist ... Beth
Anne Ramsey ... Momma

Kate Mulgrew ... Margaret
Branford Marsalis ... Lester

Rob Reiner ... Joel
Bruce Kirby ... Detective DeBenedetto
Joey DePinto ... Sargeant
Annie Ross ... Mrs. Hazeltine
Raye Birk ... Pinsky

Oprah Winfrey ... Herself
Olivia Brown ... Ms. Gladstone
Philip Perlman ... Mr. Perlman
Stu Silver ... Ramon
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
88 min | Germany:87 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Larry on the train talks to Owen about the perfect beginning of a novel and mentions Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. "It was the best of times it was the worst of times..". Momma then says, 'The night was sultry'. This is a variation of the line,'The night was so very sultry.'. A quote from the same novel. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Owen sneaks into Margaret's house, he's barefoot. Then when her gardener shows up, he has to hide behind the couch, it clearly shows he has shoes on. more
Quotes:
[Larry is reading stories to the class]
Larry: Next is "Murder at My Friend Harry's" by Owen... Lift. "Chapter one: The night was humid."
[Closes the paper]
Larry: Class dismissed. I have a terrible headache in my eye.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Crooked Lines (2003) more
Soundtrack:
O KA LAAU more

FAQ

List: Murder swaps
more
8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful.
A fun black comedy/thriller, 20 June 2004
Author: (eddy-28) from Lake Isabella, CA

Throw Momma from the Train, could best be described as a newer version of Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train". Stu Sliver's script was creative and very darkly comic.

Danny DeVito stars (and also directs) as Owen, a sort of dim-witted writing student who lives with his monstrous mother (Anne Ramsey). Owen's writing teacher, Larry (Billy Crystal) is having trouble with his writing career because his wife (Kate Mulgrew) stole his first book and made it her own bestseller and lives the highlife in Hawaii. After Owen constantly annoys Larry for days about his first story, he wrote from class, Larry suggests that Owen see a Hitchcock movie in order to write the perfect murder mystery novel. Owen then gets the idea from "Strangers on a Train" that he will go to Hawaii and murder Larry's wife, while Larry will kill his mother. But Larry has the motive, and with the police coming after him, Larry now has the opportunity to kill off the meanest old lady, he's ever seen, but realizes that she is harder to get rid of than both he and Owen thought.

Throw Momma from the Train, I think is a fun comic adventure, both Danny DeVito and Bill Crystal are funny, while Anne Ramsey's Oscar-nominated role of Momma is hysterically frightening. There are a lot of laughs in this film, especially the classic "One Hundred Girls I'd Like to Fork" story. Kim Griest, Annie Ross and Bruce Kirby also star, with Rob Reiner, Oprah Winfrey and Danny DeVito's own father in law, Philip Perlman make cameos. This is a good example of classic black comedy.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Throw Momma from the Train (1987)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Alternative Ending?? lizswann12
he doesn't really say pork does he? kuribogoomba
Long live codykilgore
Hitchcock tributes rkillgore
I Actually Felt Bad For Devito's Character littledevil345
Anne Ramsey Was the Best Part of this Film. Joshf84
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