“One little murder and I’m Jack the Ripper.” —Larry
Today’s quick review: Throw Momma from the Train. Struggling novelist Larry Donner (Billy Crystal) makes a big mistake when he tells Owen Lift (Danny DeVito), a student in his creative writing class, that he wants his ex-wife Margaret (Kate Mulgrew) dead. Taking this as a cue, Owen kills her, leaving Larry as the prime suspect. To make matters worse, Owen expects Larry to return the favor by killing his insufferable mother (Anne Ramsey) for him.
Throw Momma from the Train is a crime comedy starring Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito. The movie centers on the odd relationship between a frustrated author and his misguided student. Through a poor choice of words, Larry finds himself at the center of a murder scheme he never agreed to. Crystal and DeVito have a natural chemistry that carries the movie, while Owen’s convoluted scheme gives them some interesting material to work with.
Throw Momma from the Train specializes in cheap but effective humor. The movie has a few sources of comedy it goes to repeatedly: Larry’s frustrations with his work and his ex-wife, Owen’s lack of personal boundaries, and the abuses of Owen’s mother driving a kind-hearted man to murder. The script cannot sustain the premise for very long, but it covers all the ground it needs to, and it puts its actors’ talents to good use.
How much you get out of Throw Momma from the Train will depend on your taste in comedy. The movie skews a little dark in places, but not enough to jeopardize its upbeat tone. Fans of witty, understated humor may also find it a little too blunt. But for fans of Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal, or their style of comedy in general, it makes for a breezy watch.
For the same premise played for suspense, check out Strangers on a Train. For a black comedy in a similar vein, check out The Ladykillers, What About Bob?, or So I Married an Axe Murderer. For a stranger story about a frustrated writer, try Ruby Sparks, Barton Fink, or Adaptation. For another comedy about domestic murder, check out How to Murder Your Wife.
6.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for simple but effective humor.