Due Date

[StevePulaski]

Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis take on a challenging relationship in the new Comedy Due Date.

Rating: ★★★

Todd Phillips' new film Due Date reminds us of two films instantly. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, the classic John Hughes film which stars Steve Martin and the late John Candy and Phillips' unexpected 2009 success film The Hangover. Both films I say surpass this one up, but that's not to say this one was a complete and total bust. Due Date did have me laughing countless times, but compared to a Comedy that's clever and funny like PT&A, this one is only funny without being clever too much.

I did enjoy the overall plot I will say. It's got the right plot and the right amount of laughs to be classified as "a good comedy". It's nothing amazing, like I won't make time for it whenever it comes on TV, but maybe in a year I'll turn it on for the Hell of it. Zach Glaifianakis, I think, is getting better and better with his acting, but I wish he would go on to do more besides silly comedies. I'd love to see him in a straight forward drama or maybe even a Horror film. He may be great in comedies, but he should try some other stuff. The problem/downside to that would be if people see his name on a project of drama, they'll get them to believe the film itself is just laugh out loud humor. Similar to how Adventureland fooled some people to think it was an all out Comedy by plastering "From the director of Superbad" right on the poster.

Tightly wound, short fused Peter Highman (Downey Jr.) desperately wants to get home to Los Angeles to see the birth of his first child from his wife Sarah (Monaghan). To do so, his intentions are to fly, but after being kicked off an airplane when a overly friendly, annoyance Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) makes a big deal about his cell phone. Peter is now on "the no fly list" and has no money, credit cards, or drivers license, so there's almost no way to get home. Until Ethan shows up in all excitement hoping to get Peter to hitch a ride and they'll become close friends.

Peter unwillingly accepts the ride from Ethan and are now off to California. Let the road trip movie Comedy antics begin; everything that could go wrong does. Peter and Ethan come into every obstacle known and Peter is at his wit's end because of Ethan's laidback attitude. It's almost as if Peter is annoyed by everyone but himself.

Robert Downey Jr. resembles Steve Martin and Zach Glaifianakis resembles the late/great John Candy. Although this movie had good laughs/intentions, more could have been done with the characters and their overall dialog to make the relationship believable. We never really get into too much about both Peter/Ethan, we don't really know them and, hey, we're with them for ninety-five minutes we might as well know more than Peter's married and his wife is having a baby and Ethan's dad is dead and he's an aspiring actor.

For what Due Date is, it's funny in various places, but doesn't come close to the mark The Hangover left on Comedy. I don't consider The Hangover to be on my list of favorite movies like most teenagers do, but I will say I did laugh more than I did in a movie theater in years. People have said Due Date surpasses The Hangover and that is funny how that's many comedies goal is to surpass the laughs delivered in The Hangover. Some reviews for Hot Tub Time Machine and She's Out of My League said they were better than The Hangover and I disagree totally. Due Date had an an even greater challenge, not to deliver more laughs than The Hangover, but be memorable enough to overshadow the Hughes' masterpiece Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. That right there is already a challenge that, so farm hasn't been won.

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis, and Jamie Foxx. Directed by: Todd Phillips.