History Film / ThrowMommaFromTheTrain

* WroteAGoodFakeStory: Mr. Pinsky, a middle-aged student in Larry's writing class, is working on a "coffee table book" called ''101 Women I'd Like to Pork''. Larry and several students accuse him of just making a list of women he wants to have sex with, but others are somehow intrigued by the premise. By the end, we see that he has written a weighty coffee table book simply titled ''Pinsky,'' and Larry even agrees to write the foreword.

* PlayingGertrude: Ramsey played [=DeVito=]'s mother despite being only 15 years older than him, though having Owen at 15 might explain some of Momma's latent resentfulness towards him.

%%* GroinAttack: [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments "She's not a woman. She's The Terminator."]]

%%* {{Jerkass}}: Momma and Margaret.

* WriteWhatYouKnow: InUniverse, the hidden writing {{Aesop}} of the film. While Larry criticizes Mrs. Hazeltine for not knowing the names of the instruments on a submarine, and praises another student for using his experiences in the naugahyde industry to write a compelling exposé, he doesn't conquer his writer's block [[spoiler:til he writes of his experiences with Owen]].

-->'''Momma:''' No, it's because he's fat and he's stupid.

* ActorAllusion: Anne Ramsey [[Film/TheGoonies was better known]] for playing ''another'' evil "Mama"[[note]]Fratelli[[/note]].

* AmbiguousDisorder: Owen is a very childish man whose pastimes consist of playing with his childhood coin collection and train set. He has very poor boundary issues, doing things like watching Larry and Beth making love or sneaking up behind Larry to give him his scarf back without announcing his presence. The story he writes for class is an extremely simple murder mystery that's only three pages long and only has two characters. Not to mention him assuming Larry wants him to murder his wife in exchange for killing his mother. It's possible that losing his father at a young age and having to take care of his increasingly unstable mother left him somewhat emotionally stunted.

-->'''Larry:''' ''(watching Owen in a bathing suit and ready to dive)'' Hey, Beth, ever see a weevil snorkel?

* AmbiguousDisorder: Owen is a very childish man whose pastimes consist of playing with his childhood toy collection and train set. He has very poor boundary issues, doing things like watching Larry and Beth making love or sneaking up behind Larry to give him his scarf back without announcing his presence. The story he writes for class is an extremely simple murder mystery that's only three pages long and only has two characters. Not to mention him assuming Larry wants him to murder his wife in exchange for killing his mother. It's possible that losing his father at a young age and having to take care of his increasingly unstable mother left him somewhat emotionally stunted.

''Throw Momma from the Train'' is a 1987 BlackComedy directed by Creator/DannyDeVito, who stars along with Creator/BillyCrystal.

* ContrivedCoincidence: Larry suggests that Owen go see a Hitchcock film to better understand how mystery/thriller stories are written. Owen does so the very next day, and ''Strangers on a Train'' just happens to be the film that is playing.

Writer Larry Donner (Crystal), suffering from severe writer's block, has taken to teaching writing to aspiring (if not necessarily talented) would-be writers, and thus meets simpleton Owen Lift ([=DeVito=]). Larry is wracked with jealous rage over his ex-wife Margaret (Kate Mulgrew), who became a world-famous author after stealing his book and publishing it as her own. Owen, meanwhile, fantasizes about offing [[MyBelovedSmother his abusive Momma]] (Creator/AnneRamsey).

-->'''Larry:''' ''(watching Owen in a bathing suit and ready to dive)'' Hey, Beth, ever see a Weeble snorkel?

-->'''Larry:''' ''(watching Owen in a bathing suit and ready to dive)'' Hey, Beth, ever see a weevil snorkel?

* {{Jerkass}}: Momma and Margaret.

* GroinAttack: [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments "She's not a woman. She's The Terminator."]]

* FryingPanOfDoom: The SignatureScene of the film. Owen lies and says Larry is his cousin Paddy. When Momma retorts he doesn't have a cousin Paddy, Owen looks at Larry and whacks him over the head with a frying pan, exclaiming, "You ''lied'' to me!"

* FryingPanOfDoom: Oh, yes.

* PlayingGertrude: Ramsey played Danny [=DeVito=]'s mother in ''Throw Momma from the Train'' despite being only 15 years older than him, though having Owen at 15 might explain some latent resentfulness towards him.

* PlayingGertrude: Ramsey played Danny [=DeVito=]'s mother in ''Throw Momma from the Train'' despite being only 15 years older than him, though having Owen at 15 might explain some latent rsentfulness towards him.