Throw Momma from the Train

1987
PG-13
1h 28m

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

41K

YOUR RATING

Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito in Throw Momma from the Train (1987)

Play trailer0:31

1 Video

98 Photos

Buddy Comedy Dark Comedy Comedy Crime Thriller

A bitter writing teacher wants his successful ex-wife dead. A put-upon mama's boy writing student wants his overbearing mother dead. Will there be a criss-cross murder plot?A bitter writing teacher wants his successful ex-wife dead. A put-upon mama's boy writing student wants his overbearing mother dead. Will there be a criss-cross murder plot?A bitter writing teacher wants his successful ex-wife dead. A put-upon mama's boy writing student wants his overbearing mother dead. Will there be a criss-cross murder plot?

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

41K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 4 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 0:31

Throw Momma from the Train

Photos98

+ 91

More like this

6.8

6.8

6.9

6.2

6.6

6.5

Throw Momma from the Train: Deleted Scenes

7.5

A Fish Called Wanda

6.5

Running Scared

7.4

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

5.6

City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold

6.6

Roxanne

7.0

Grumpy Old Men

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
Anne Ramsey's speech impediment was caused by operations she underwent in order to treat throat cancer. During filming she was undergoing additional oral surgery and endured intense pain. However, according to director Danny DeVito, she never requested to be excused from work. "Momma" went on to become Ramsey's most critically-lauded performance, culminating with Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1988. Sadly, she died only six months after the ceremony because of that very same throat cancer.

Goofs
When Larry reads out the title of a student's "coffee table book", he says "One Hundred Girls I'd Like To Pork", but his lips are clearly mouthing the word "Fuck". This line was presumably overdubbed to avoid an R rating. Worse yet, "Pork" was changed to "Bonk" for broadcast on commercial TV.

Quotes
[Momma sees Larry for the first time]
Momma: Who's this?
Owen: This is Cousin Paddy. He's coming to stay with us a while. Isn't that nice?
Momma: [suspiciously] You don't *have* a "Cousin Paddy".
Owen: [to Larry] You lied to me!
[Owen knocks Larry out with a frying pan to the head]

Crazy credits
The credit for Assistant Sound Editor Robert Martel has a gap in the vertical stroke of the L.

Alternate versions
Network TV versions restore extra footage.

Connections
Edited into Throw Momma from the Train: Deleted Scenes (2001)

Soundtracks
Larry's Song
Written by Branford Marsalis

User reviews106

Review

Featured review

8/10

Genius script, great acting, solid direction: The ingredients to a great film.

Larry Donner (Billy Crystal) has a crazy life: His wife (Kate Mulgrew) stole his book and left him, he has a new budding romance with a girl named Beth (Kim Greist), he doesn't know how to start his book, and his students of his screen writing class are stranger than most. However, one student (Danny DeVito) is extra strange. He lives with his evil Momma (Anne Ramsey) and he can't get up the courage to kill her. So than he goes to Larry for help, making his life go from normal crazy, to extra crazy!

Stu Silver should have done more! The dialog, the characters, the whole script is near perfect! And Danny DeVito has proved to me he's more than a great actor: he's a great director! His kid's movie Matilda is among my favorite family movies and now this is one of my favorite comedies.

It's a black comedy, most jokes are about murder, but it's damn funny! All of the actors are doing their full potential, whether they're main characters (Billy Crystal) or just one-bit minor characters (Olivia Brown).

If you like comedy (Who doesn't?) than you'll like this! 8/10 stars.