Review of Throw Momma from the Train (1987) by Luiserghio M — 27 Jul 2010
Larry Donner is a struggling writer, with most of his frustration stemming from his hatred of his ex-wife, who stole his book idea from him. Owen Lift is a simpleton living with his monstrous mother, who attends the creative writing class that Larry teaches. With Owen's attempts for Larry to notice him, and a few overly-explored words of advice, the unlikely pair find themselves in the midst of a murder case that drives Larry up the wall.
First off, I must point out the excellent performances from Billy Crystal, Danny DeVito, and Anne Ramsey as Owen's mother. Crystal, as usual, plays himself. And, also as usual, does it splendidly and really creates that average-guy-type main character that we ca easily get behind. And DeVito pulls off Owen's deranged man-child persona effortlessly. And it goes without saying that Anne Ramsey was brilliant; a perfect target for murder.
My second commendation goes to the writing. The characters are painted perfectly with each line feeling completely natural. The story is brilliantly written seemingly from the perspective of a rat caught in a trap. The tension builds effortlessly The plot moves smoothly, almost in a comedy-of-errors fashion akin to "Ruthless People.".
Unfortunately unlike "Ruthless People," the comedy is a bit lax. It's in no small supply of dark humor, but so little of it is actually funny. Thankfully the film turns into a bit of a mixed bag, balancing dark humor with situational comedy & a bit of slapstick.
Fortunately the film does give us something to dwell on, such as Larry's situation with his writer's block and feeds us plenty of elementary phrases about telling a story, whilst successfully engulfing us in it's own plot.
In the end there isn't too much that really makes this film pop, but it satisfies in that menial "just-right" sort of way. The comedy is a bit shaky, but the characters & the excellent plot should get you through the hour-and-a-half. I give "Throw Momma from the Train" 6 guys in hats out of 10.
"Hate makes you impotent, Love makes you crazy, somewhere in the middle you can survive." -Larry Donner.
"She's not a woman. She's the Terminator." -Larry Donner.
This review of Throw Momma from the Train (1987) was written by Luiserghio M on 27 Jul 2010.
Throw Momma from the Train has generally received mixed reviews.
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