Character Relationship Map: Throw Momma from the Train

Characters

• Owen Lift (played by Danny DeVito) — protagonist

  A middle-aged creative writing student living with his paranoid mother. He attempts to murder his teacher's ex-wife to forge a murder-for-murder pact, later blackmails the teacher into helping him kil...

• Larry Donner (played by Billy Crystal) — supporting

  A struggling novelist and community college teacher suffering from writer's block and resentment toward his ex-wife. He becomes entangled in a murder pact with a student, flees to Mexico, accidentally...

• Mrs. Lift (played by Anne Ramsey) — supporting

  Owen's paranoid and domineering mother who fears being institutionalized. She becomes the target of a murder pact, travels to Mexico to avoid lying for Larry, and accidentally causes Larry to fall off...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Larry Donner → Owen Lift (Professional Teacher) — Larry teaches Owen creative writing.

  Owen is a student in Larry's community-college creative-writing class, where Larry advises him about plot development.

• Owen Lift → Mrs. Lift (Family Son) — Owen is Mrs. Lift's adult son.

  Owen lives with his paranoid mother, Mrs. Lift, whose fears and behavior dominate their household.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Larry Donner → Mrs. Lift (Conflict Would-Be Killer) — Larry becomes an unwilling intended killer.

  Larry agrees to kill Mrs. Lift after her treatment of Owen drives him to the breaking point, then follows her on the train intending to act.

Story Analysis

A destructive murder pact gradually becomes a moral and creative transformation for two troubled writers.

Plot Progression

1. A Lesson Misunderstood — Larry struggles with writer's block and begins teaching creative writing. Owen, trapped by his domineering mother, transforms a classroom lesson about murder plots into a real plan.
2. The Impossible Bargain — Owen follows Larry's former wife to a cruise ship and claims to have killed her. Larry becomes terrified when he realizes that his weak alibi may make him a police suspect.
3. A House Under Pressure — Larry hides with Owen and Mrs. Lift, where domestic hostility intensifies the murder pact. Mrs. Lift's treatment of Owen finally pushes Larry into agreeing to act.
4. Violence on the Rails — Larry flees toward Mexico with Owen and Mrs. Lift. A confrontation in the caboose becomes a desperate struggle that rejects the murder plan but leaves Larry injured.
5. Writing a New Life — Larry learns that the former wife survived and chooses to write about his own experience instead of remaining obsessed with her. His book and Owen's book bring them success and friendship.