Directed by: Danny DeVito
Starring: Billy Crystal, Danny DeVito, Kim Greist, Anne Ramsey
The plot: Murder is in the air. Put upon Owen (DeVito) strikes a bargain with Larry (Crystal) to help kill his overbearing mother. Unfortunately Larry is not aware of any bargain. Matters become worse when Owen confesses to killing Larry's wife. It's a complicated tale of murder and suspense with more than a fair share black humor.So what's it like:
This is an interesting film, part comedy part thriller with a large smattering of Hitchcock thrown in for good measure. The style of this film comes straight out of the Hitchcock school of film making in fact to a certain degree it's a film studies lecturers playground. There are moments of suspense, moments of drama and above all else plenty of black humor. There are several things that draw me into this film but the main thing is the fact that the main character is a writer. I can fully understand the eternal struggle of writing that all important opening line and Crystal captures the frustration perfectly. He also captures the moments of boredom when he sticks selotape to his face. The comical exchanges between DeVito and Crystal are fun to watch as Owen tries to persuade Larry that it is in his best interests to kill his "Momma". Speaking of Momma, Anne Ramsey played that part perfectly. That character was not to be messed with. As Larry pointed out in the film, "she's not a woman, she's the Terminator."
DeVito proved his directing prowess with this film and it's fair to say that he did a fine job of analysing the Hitchcock style of film and turning it into something funny. Whether you're a fan of Hitchcock or not this is a fun film that gets better each time I watch and sometimes it serves to help me see the funny side of the dreaded writers block.Interesting fact: Barry Sonnenfeld (director of Men in Black and the Adams Family) was the films director of photography.
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