Movie · 1987 · Comedy, Crime, Thriller · 1h 28m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 2.9/10 (78.2K ratings)
Owen asked his friend Larry for a small favor.
Overview
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.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.9/10
IMDb: 6.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.18/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
Metacritic: 56
TMDB: 6.2/10
Director
Danny DeVito
Production
Orion Pictures
Cast
Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal, Kim Greist, Anne Ramsey, Kate Mulgrew, Branford Marsalis, Rob Reiner, Bruce Kirby, Joey DePinto, Annie Ross, Raye Birk, Oprah Winfrey, Olivia Brown, Philip Perlman, Stu Silver, J. Alan Thomas, Randall Miller, Andre Rosey Brown, Tony Ciccone, William Ray Watson
Where to watch
fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A brisk, oddball dark comedy with real charm, sharp visual style, and a strong central premise, but it’s uneven: the jokes land more reliably than the thriller mechanics, and the film never fully commits to either menace or farce. Still, it has enough invention and quotable energy to be worth a watch if you like off-kilter 1980s comedies.
Best for
fans of dark comedies with a Hitchcock riff
viewers who enjoy short, fast-paced 1980s studio comedies
people who like awkward, character-driven humor
audiences interested in crime plots played for laughs
Skip if
you want a tightly plotted thriller
you dislike broad or uneven comedy
you prefer subtle, modern deadpan humor
you need the premise to stay consistently dark or suspenseful
Overview
Throw Momma from the Train is a goofy, surprisingly stylish little black comedy that gets a lot of mileage out of its high-concept setup. It plays like a comic answer to Hitchcock, with mistaken motives, bad ideas, and escalating bad decisions driving the joke forward. The movie’s best moments are the ones that lean into absurdity and timing rather than trying to make the murder plot feel genuinely dangerous.
Worth noting
Danny DeVito gives the film a scrappy, mean little pulse, and the visual polish helps it feel bigger than its runtime. The Barry Sonnenfeld photography gives the comedy a glossy, slightly sinister sheen, which suits the material well. Billy Crystal’s exasperated energy keeps the movie afloat even when the script wobbles.
Bottom line
It’s not a fully balanced film, and some of the darker material feels undercooked compared with the stronger comic bits. But as a compact 1980s studio oddity with a memorable premise and a few genuinely inspired scenes, it remains easy to recommend to viewers who enjoy crime comedy with a twisted edge.
Top Letterboxd reviews
pd187 (4★) · 410 likes
too goddamn sultry in here
anna nomaly (4★) · 402 likes
Planes, Strangers on a Train & Automobiles.
Jeff (3.5★) · 399 likes
The funny far outweighs the unfunny, and it was shot by Barry Sonnenfeld so it looks amazing. Throw in the fact it's a spritely 88 minutes and you could do a lot worse on a rain-fucked Sunday afternoon.
Skylar Travis (4.5★) · 331 likes
I crack up every time I see the scene where Danny Devito is calling from different pay phones in Hawaii. Then it cuts to the one out in the middle of the field next to a horse. So stupid. But damn it’s funny. I love Throw Momma From the Train.
Patrick Willems · 236 likes
Good movie but imo not enough train to count as a train movie