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Features: DVD, Widescreen
Get ready for runaway comedy that's right on track! "Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal are hilarious (and) Anne Ramsey is hysterically frightful" (The Hollywood Reporter) in this "wickedly screwball" (Playboy) laugh riot that won a Golden Globe nomination for DeVito and an Oscar nomination for Ramsey. With Rob Reiner and Oprah Winfrey on board for cameos, this fast-track comedy "will certainly make you laugh" (Newsweek)! Writing teacher Larry Donner (Crystal) and his student Owen Lift (DeVito) have a lot in common: the women in their lives are driving them mad! Larry's ex-wife Margaret (Kate Mulgrew) stole his novel and made it her own bestseller, and Owen's mother (Ramsey) is a monster! But Owen has a plan to kill both problems...literally! He'll murder Margaret while Larry sends Momma to her maker! But when Owen fulfills his end of the deal before telling his teacher, Larry's left with no alibi...and an outrageous obligation to knock off the nastiest old lady he's ever met!
"Ramsey (is) incredible!" Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"Clever and engaging from beginning to end!" Variety
Editor's Note
Owen (Danny DeVito) is a friendless would-be mystery writer who has had all he can take. He would do anything to get rid of his overbearing momma (Anne Ramsey), whose howling voice and domineering attitude have pushed him to the absolute limit. He even strikes a deal with Larry (Billy Crystal), his writing teacher, to knock off his much-hated ex-wife, with the understanding that the instructor will reciprocate. Ramsey is so terrific in her role that the audience eventually roots for her to be killed. Danny DeVito directed this very dark, very funny comedy, which owes a big debt to the Alfred Hitchcock thriller STRANGERS ON A TRAIN.
Plot Summary
A timid middle-aged man, still living with his incredibly overbearing mother, arranges to have her murdered by his frustrated writing teacher, whose wife just stole his book idea.
| Features | Deleted Scenes | | English Stereo Surround | | English Subtitles | | French Dolby Surround | | French Stereo Surround | | Interactive Menus | | Original Theatrical Trailer | | Scene Selection | | Spanish Mono | | Spanish Subtitles | | Widescreen Format Enhanced For 16x9 TVs |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: MGM |
| Release Date: 5/31/2005 |
| Running Time: 88 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1987 | | Catalog ID: 1008791D | | UPC: 00027616927835 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1988) | | | Anne Ramsey, Nominee, Best Supporting Actress | |
Golden Globe (1988) | | | Danny DeVito, Nominee, Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture-Comedy/Musical | | | Anne Ramsey, Nominee, Best Supporting Actress In A Motion Picture |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"...Fiendish....A blissfully ironic variation on [STRANGERS ON A TRAIN]'s criss-cross murder plot..." -- Rating: B 10/09/1998 pp.86-7New York Times
"...Enormously likable without compromising its mean-spirited fun....[DeVito] remains a captivating figure throughout the story..." 12/11/1987 p.C15 Variety
"...A fun and delightfully venal comedy....Very clever and engaging from beginning to end..." 12/16/1987 Los Angeles Times
"...DeVito's major feature directorial debut has some of the florid, grab-your-eye intensity of his acting..." 12/11/1987 p.C1 |
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