owen love his mamma . only he would love her good six foot under in this dark and laugh out loud comedy that both star and be direct by danny devito and with admirable assist from billy crystal and anne ramsey in the title role . throw momma from the train be a terrific comedy and even if it isn not a great film . it too shallow in part and and the end feel less organic than tack on . but it a gut splitting ride most of the way and with crystal and devito employ great screen chemistry while work their own separate comic take on the essence of be a struggle writer ( devito be avid but untalented while crystal be block and bitter ) . crystal professor donner believe his ex wife steal his book ( the unfortunately title hot fire ) and can not write more than the opening line of his next book and which doesn not come easy . he teach a creative writing class of bud mediocrity and include a middle age woman who write tom clancy type fiction but doesn not know what that thing be the submarine captain speaks through while and an upholstery salesman who want to write the story of his life . mr. pinsky be probably the funny character for laugh per minute on screen and an ascot wear weirdo who see literature a an excuse to write his opus represent 100 girl i would like to pork . then there devito owen lift and who call himself professor donner star pupil even though the teacher would not read his work in class . owen be a somewhat unusual character to star in a movie and a man child in his late 30 who live with his overbear mother and anne ramsey and who call him lardass and other endear sentiment . in any other movie and we would be ask to feel sorry for owen and but throw momma from the train pile life cruelty onto this sad sack for laugh and expect u to go along . that one big reason why this film probably lose a lot of people . for those of u who enjoy the humor of this character and even identify with him and and take the rest of what we see here a a lark and it not a big a stretch to go along with the big gambit this comedy take and ask u to watch in amusement while owen enlists professor donner help in a plan to kill his mother . actually and he first go to hawaii to kill donner hat ex and then tell the professor it his turn to kill mrs. lift and swap murder a see in hitchcock stranger on a train . a a director and devito not only complement his actor performance with scene set that place the accent on dialogue and he make some bold visual statement and throw in bit of amuse unreality to keep the audience on it toe ( and away from take thing too seriously . ) also help matter be writer stu silver and who keep the laugh come with his quotable patter . you get rat the size of oldsmobiles here . she not a woman . she the terminator . one little murder and i be jack the ripper . those be all crystal word and but some of the funny line and which work only in context but absolutely kill and be devito and ramsey . apparently silver never write another screenplay after this and accord to the imdb and and that a shame and because he have real talent for it . the best scene in this movie and when crystal meet ramsey and be actually use in it entirety a a theatrical come attraction presentation and the only time i have see a movie promote that way . owen introduce the professor to his mother a cousin patty and and when momma say he doesn not have a cousin patty and panicky owen lose it . you lie to me and he yell out and slam the professor forehead with a pan . of course and in reality the professor wouldn not groan out something witty from the floor and but throw momma from the train work effectively at such moment and when play it looney tune vibe for all it worth . devito hasn not disappear from film and of course and but it a mystery why he hasn not really follow up on the directorial promise of this movie . maybe it because and a throw momma from the train lack of mainstream success show and his kind of vision isn not to everyone taste . that too bad for those of u who can watch this over and over and and like it .