Throw Mama From the Train (1987)

My Review

“Throw Mama From the Train” is a black comedy where a man is fed up with his domineering mother, and when he sees an Alfred Hitchcock movie that seems to mirror his own life, he decides to put a similar plan into action. Danny DeVito, in his movie director debut, put together a decent comedy with a well written screenplay by Stu Silver. The film is well paced and a smooth 88 minute running time.

The stars of the show are Danny DeVito, Billy Crystal, Anne Ramsey, Kate Mulgrew, Kim Greist, Branford Malsalis, Rob Reiner, Bruce Kirby, Annie Ross, Olivia Brown, and Oprah Winfrey in a cameo as herself on a fictional episode of her talk show. Robert Walker and Farley Granger appear in footage of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train” (1951). The watchable “Throw Mama From the Train” was very popular at the box office for Orion Pictures. Anne Ramsey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.