Although Crystal and DeVito make a great pair, they can’t rescue the story from an all-too-tidy ending.
Larry Donner (Billy Crystal) teaches creative writing at a small college. He’s trying to write a novel but is suffering from a severe case of writer’s block. His ex-wife, Margaret (Kate Mulgrew), stole his first novel and published it as her own, finding instant success. Each time Larry sees her in magazines or on TV, it makes it harder for him to write and even harder to get over how much he resents her. He his often overheard exclaiming how much he wants to kill her. He’s not intending to do it, of course.
Owen Lift (Danny DeVito) is a student in Larry’s class. He lives at home with his overbearing and verbally abusive mother (Anne Ramsey, in an Oscar-nominated role.) He dreams of becoming a writer but his mother hates the sound of his typewriter. Owen frequently daydreams of lacing her cola with poison or stabbing her with scissors. Of course, he doesn’t do it.
After class, Owen asks Larry’s opinion of the story he turned in as an assignment: a murder mystery. Larry tells him that he needs to eliminate the motive to make it harder for the reader to figure out who committed the crime. Larry suggests to Owen that he watch an Alfred Hitchcock film for ideas.
After viewing Strangers on a Train, where two strangers agree to commit murder on behalf of the other, Owen believes that Larry wants the two of them to make a similar pact. Owen will kill Margaret and Larry will kill Owen’s mother. No one will be the wiser and both men will have the biggest distractions removed from their lives.
It might not sound like it from that description, but Throw Momma From the Train is a comedy. Directed by DeVito and featuring cinematography by Barry Sonnenfeld, the film is a rather sincere visual tribute to Hitchcock. However, the script by Stu Silver (TV’s Soap) starts to sputter around the beginning of the third act. Silver never wants to fully commit to his dark premise. There’s a tendency to lean on slapstick comedy when things get a little too morose. (One gag involving a frying pan, though, works beautifully because it’s so unexpected.)
Billy Crystal plays Larry as essentially the same character he portrays in most of his films: neurotic, wise-cracking, and self-victimized. DeVito’s Owen is a schlub but a good-hearted schlub. He doesn’t deserve the abuse he receives from his mother and we feel sorry for his mistreatment. He has a sincere desire to be a writer — if not the actual talent — but we admire him for not giving up on his dream. We certainly can understand his frequent daydreams about killing his mother.
That understanding is the result of a gem of a performance given by Anne Ramsey as Momma. Her quips and demands are at once grating yet hilarious as she berates Owen (and, later, Larry) for the simple act of existing. It makes buying into the murder-as-a-solution mentality that Owen possesses much easier.
Crystal and DeVito have undeniable chemistry in their comedic scenes together. But their best scene is the one in which Larry lets his guard down and allows Owen to share his coin collection with him. It’s a subtle but poignant exchange that humanizes both characters.
Sadly, Throw Momma From the Train‘s conclusion doesn’t satisfy as much as its first two acts. Although Crystal and DeVito make a great pair, they can’t rescue the story from an all-too-tidy ending.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
Buy on Amazon!
