Throw Momma from the Train
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Throw Momma from the Train is a black comedy film released in 1987. The movie was inspired by the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock thriller Strangers on a Train.
It stars Billy Crystal, Danny DeVito, Anne Ramsey, Kim Greist, Rob Reiner, Branford Marsalis, and Kate Mulgrew. It has been released for television and video/DVD.
The film received mixed reviews but was a major commercial success. Actress Anne Ramsey was singled out for praise and her portrayal of the maniacal and overbearing Mrs. Lift won her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Larry Donner is a struggling writer who teaches a creative writing class at a community college. Donner blames his ex-wife Margaret (Mulgrew) for stealing the idea for her book from him during their marriage. Margaret's book has become a smashing success and has propelled her to wealth and fame. His anger and resentment at her success cause him to experience writer's block.
Owen Lift is a student in Donner's writing class, and an utterly incompetent writer. Lift is a middle aged milquetoast who lives with his overbearing mother (Anne Ramsey). He dreams of killing her, but turns spineless whenever she bullies him.
Owen goes to Larry seeking advice concerning his writing. Larry advises Owen to go see an Alfred Hitchcock film to gain some insight into plot development. Owen also overhears Larry exclaiming that he wished his ex-wife were dead. Owen goes to see Strangers on a Train, a movie in which two strangers meet on a train and form a plot to commit a murder for each other. The murderer's lack of a strong connection to the crime and the other person's ability to establish a perfect alibi at the time of the murder will, in theory, allow each to get away with murder.
Owen believes that the choice of film is a message from Larry. Owen then forms a plan to kill Margaret believing that Larry will respond by killing his mother. When a news story appears announcing Margaret's disappearance from a cruise ship, Owen comes to Larry and tells him that he has killed Margaret and that Larry now "owes" him the murder of his mother. The remainder of the story deals with the conflict as Owen tries to blackmail Larry into killing his mother.
Larry must hide from the police because they want to question him concerning Margaret's disappearance. Larry, with no other place to go, hides out with Owen and his mother. He resists Owen's constant badgering to kill Mrs. Lift but her disagreeable personality finally angers him so much that he agrees to kill her. In the end, Owen realizes that he does not actually want his mother to die and stops Larry from killing her.
Margaret is later discovered alive after being rescued by a Polynesian fisherman. Larry realizes that Owen didn't actually kill her but she had simply fallen overboard. Larry's writer's block ends and he writes a book about his experiences with Owen and Mrs. Lift, which becomes a best seller. Owen also achieves success as a children's book writer.
Trivia
The car used by the main characters in a car chase is a Saab 96.
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