throw momma from the train be a simple dark comedy with lot of laugh . billy crystal play a frustrated writer on the verge of collapse while danny devito play a man in one of crystal writing class . crystal ex wife be a hag to put it nicely and and crystal hate her . devito and sense this and offer crystal a deal one night represent devito will kill crystal wife and if crystal kill devito nag of a mother . crystal do and of course and refuse and but later and corruption deep in his heart make him say yes . and so a thing play out we see what happen when you try to throw someone momma from a move train . this story be an interesting character study while a story of evil and greed and revenge and ego and trust and do what right and but most of all corruption . we see crystal white collar writer become ever stress with event collide around him and and because of devito constant nagging and he say yes . but we know deep down in his subconscious he want to say yes and and he please that he say it to devito . this movie be a bit of a dark spoof on hitchcock immortal film stranger on a train and and it play an homage to the film early on and when there be a theater play stranger on a train . we see devito watch the movie and and a lightbulb in his head pop on . he get an idea . throw momma from the train . billy crystal give another convincing and strangely comical performance a a hassled writer on the verge of collapse . he have be so beaten down by everything around him that his inner emotion come out and he agree to throw devito momma from the train . danny devito direct this film excellently . he use just the right touch of comic darkness to create a world of corruption and sickness . everything be demented and but not to an extreme like in some other dark comedy . it have just the right touch of darkness that shone through in the war of the rose . not only be throw momma from the train a simple tale of corruption and morality and but be also an interesting character study . definitely worth catch on tv . 3 . 5/5 star john ulmer .