Novelist Larry Downer (played by Billy Crystal) struggles with the author's obstacles due to resentment towards his ex-wife Margaret (played by Kate Mugrov), who steals his book and gains mainstream success and critical acclaim for it. Owen Lift (Danny DeVito) is a timid middle-aged man who still lives with his bossy and abusive mother (Anne Ramsey). Owen fantasized about killing his mother, but lacked the courage to fulfill his wish. As a student in the writing class of Larry Community University, Larry suggested that Owen watch Alfred Hitchcock's film to understand the plot development in depth. He saw in 'Strangers on the Train' that two strangers conspired to commit murder for each other, believing that they lacked connection with the victim and theoretically would establish a perfect alibi. Irving overheard Larry publicly ranting that he hoped his ex-wife would die, so he planned to kill Margaret, believing that Larry would kill his mother in response. He tracked Margaret to Hawaii and followed her aboard a cruise ship, apparently pushing her overboard while she was trying to retrieve the fallen earrings. Owen returned from Hawaii and told Larry about Margaret's death, Larry now He told him about the murder of his mother so that he wouldn't tell the police that Larry was the culprit. During the hours of Margaret's disappearance, Larry drank alone all night, and he panicked because he didn't have enough alibi. This, combined with a news report, announced that the police suspected the murder and convinced Larry that he was the primary suspect. In order to avoid the police, he decided to stay with Owen and his mother Edge. Larry met Mrs. Lift, but despite her strictness towards him, he refused to kill her. Finally, when Mrs. Lift drove Owen to the point of collapse, Larry finally softened his attitude and agreed to continue the murder. After two failed attempts, Larry fled the elevator and went home because the elevator lady recognized him as a suspect in a news broadcast about his ex-wife's disappearance. He boarded the train to Mexico, and surprisingly, Owen and Mrs. Lift also arrived to avoid lying for him. During the journey, Larry's patience with Mrs. Lift reached its peak because she impolitely gave him writing advice. He followed her to the guard car, intending to throw her off the train, but when she almost fell, he stopped. Owen began to reconsider killing his mother and came to help Larry save her. Mrs. Lift was very grateful to her son for saving her, but did not appreciate Larry's help. She kicked him, causing him to lose his balance and land on the runway, breaking his leg. During his recovery at the hospital, Larry discovered that Margaret was still alive; She just accidentally fell into the water and was rescued by a Polynesian fisherman who decided to marry her. To Larry's great annoyance, he learned that Margaret planned to sell her right to suffer for $1.5 million. At the suggestion of another patient, Larry chose to break free from his obsession with his ex-wife and instead focus on his own life, thus breaking free from the constraints of the author. A year later, Larry completed a novel based on his experiences with Irving and Mrs. Lift, titled 'Throwing Mom Off the Train'. Owen visited and told him that his mother had passed away (due to natural reasons), and he would go to New York City to publish his own book. Unfortunately, Owen revealed that his book is also about their experiences together. Angry Larry thought his book had been sold out, so he began to strangle him. But when Irving showed him the book, he stopped. It was a children's flash book called "Mom, Irving and Irving's Friend Larry", and the story had been greatly modified to be suitable for children to read. A few months later, Larry, Irving, and Larry's girlfriend Beth (played by Kim Greyster) were on vacation in Hawaii, reminiscing about the last chapter of Larry's book. Larry and Irving's books have now become bestsellers, making them both successful writers and close friends.
