Throw Momma from the Train

Throw Momma from the Train is a 1987 American black comedy film. It was inspired by the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock thriller Strangers on a Train, which also plays a role in the film. The 1987 film's title comes from the 1956 hit song, Mama From the Train written by Irving Gordon and sung by Patti Page.

Throw Momma from the Train stars Billy Crystal, Danny DeVito (who also directed), Anne Ramsey, Kim Greist, Rob Reiner, Branford Marsalis, and Kate Mulgrew, with a cameo appearance from Oprah Winfrey. The film received mixed to positive reviews but was a major commercial success. Anne Ramsey was singled out for praise for her portrayal of the maniacal and overbearing Mrs. Lift; she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Plot

Novelist Larry Donner (Billy Crystal) struggles with writer's block due to his resentment towards his ex-wife Margaret (Kate Mulgrew), who stole his book and garnered mainstream success and critical acclaim with it. Owen Lift (Danny DeVito) is a timid, middle-aged man who still lives with his overbearing, abusive mother (Anne Ramsey). Owen fantasizes of killing his mother but can't summon the courage to bring his desires into fruition. As a student in Larry's community college writing class, Owen is given advice by Larry to view an Alfred Hitchcock film to gain some insight into plot development. He sees Strangers on a Train, in which two strangers conspire to commit a murder for each other, figuring their lack of connection to...
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