Blu-ray Review – Throw Momma From the Train (1987)

      **Throw Momma From the Train, 1987.**

      **Directed by:** Danny DeVito.

      **Featuring:** Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal, Anne Ramsey, and Kim Greist.

      **SYNOPSIS:**

      Are there any fans of Throw Momma From the Train in the audience? If so, you’ll likely be as excited as I am about this new release from Kino Lorber, available on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD. The film looks fantastic, and the company has included a couple of new bonus features alongside transferring extras from prior editions. Highly recommended for fellow fans of this film.

      While Throw Momma From the Train has its critics, I consider myself a supporter. To me, it's hard to go wrong with Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal, and Anne Ramsey delivering standout performances—particularly Ramsey in a role that ranks among her finest and, tragically, one of her last. (Also notable is that this marks DeVito’s directorial debut.)

      DeVito portrays Owen Lift, fitting into his usual quirky characters, albeit this time as a mostly benign version. His mother, the titular “Momma,” is played by Anne Ramsey, and she is as ruthless as they come.

      Billy Crystal stars as Larry Donner, a struggling novelist teaching a community college creative writing course that Owen attends. His writer's block, fueled by resentment towards his ex-wife Margaret (Kate Mulgrew), whom he accuses of plagiarizing one of his works, is exacerbated by her success and affluence from the book.

      Owen fantasizes about murdering his mother and channels those urges into mediocre murder stories he writes for the class. Larry suggests Owen watch an Alfred Hitchcock film for inspiration, leading Owen to devise the perfect scheme: he will murder Margaret in return for Larry killing Momma, and as long as both maintain solid alibis, they won’t be linked to the crimes due to their lack of connections to the victims.

      Owen decides to go to Hawaii, where Margaret resides, to carry out the plan and manipulate Larry into fulfilling a contract he isn’t even aware he has entered. Owen successfully pushes Margaret off a cruise ship and returns to face a horrified Larry, who not only is reluctant to kill Momma but has now become the prime suspect in Margaret’s assumed death. When Larry opts to hide at Owen's home, he is ultimately persuaded to commit murder.

      Throw Momma From the Train is as dark as comedies can get, with much of the physical humor being rather exaggerated, but I would argue there's even more happening beneath the surface. Watching it again for the first time in decades, I was struck by details like Owen’s phone call from Hawaii, his awareness of not staying too long at a pay phone to avoid tracing, and his increasingly absurd choice of locations.

      There are additional hints too, such as the somewhat artificial appearance of Owen’s arrival at Margaret’s home (and how did he know her address, anyway?) and the strange clutter in the room where police interview a suspect. It feels as if the film shifts from an all-knowing perspective to one fixed firmly in a character’s mind. Perhaps it's Owen having a breakthrough, narrating a compelling albeit slightly skewed tale?

      I guess I’ll revisit it soon to see if my theory holds any validity. Or maybe I’m seeing things that aren’t there at all. Regardless, if you’re also a fan of this film, you’ll definitely want to check out this new release by Kino Lorber, which looks impeccable thanks to the newly commissioned 4K restoration. I received the Blu-ray for this review, but it’s also available in 4K Ultra HD.

      As for bonus features, Kino Lorber adds two new ones: a commentary track by critic Joe Ramoni and a 24-minute featurette, *Wide Angle Dark Humor*, which features an interview with cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld, who made his directing debut a few years after this film was released.

      All other extras from prior editions have been included, comprising three additional featurettes with a cumulative length of 32 minutes, four deleted scenes, and the trailer. One featurette, the 10-minute *Why Do You Hate Your Mother?*, is an engaging extra not often seen anymore: it includes psychologists and psychotherapists discussing why some individuals indeed harbor hatred towards their mothers.

      **Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★**

      **Brad Cook**