All of the hype makes you think Due Date was going to be as funny as combining Ghostbusters, Caddyshack, Old School and The Hangover all into one movie. Instead, the result are just "eh".Robert Downey, Jr. stars as Peter - an expectant father flying from Atlanta to LA, when he runs into a TV star wannabe, Ethan (Zach Galifianakis), who inadvertently gets the two of them kicked off the flight. Faster than you can say Planes, Trains and Automobiles, the two are stuck trying to make it across country without driving each other crazy.
Will they make it in time for the birth of Peter's baby?
Will they make it at all?
The premise is a familiar one, and co-writer/director Todd Philips incorporates every cliché in the book to make it more familiar than it should be.
The two are complete opposites.
One is suffering more physical harm than a twinkie tossed into Kirstie Alley's dressing room.
Another will fall asleep at the wheel and, of course, more antics you can predict before buying a ticket.
There's nothing in Due Date that is exciting, brilliant, new or shocking. Phillips has the ability to wow us, and has in previous movies like Old School and The Hangover, but he's playing it too safe in this one. It's not a horrible film, and some moments stand out as hilarious, but the pace needs to be faster, the jokes need to be increased by a factor of 10 and silliness needs to be allowed to rule the day. Moments that become reflective or want to teach us a lesson should be verboten!
Even the chemistry between Galifianakis and Downey feels weak. Each one knows the role he is supposed to fill, and never really strays from the predictable to be different. Downey gets to be the outraged put upon guy driven to extreme insanity and anger. Galifianakis is the fool and court jester acting stupid for our amusement. Each role could use a dash of reality to make them more interesting.
Sure, you'll laugh a few times, but we should be laughing much more.
1 ½ Waffles (Out of 4)
Due Date is rated R for language, drug use and sexual content.
The two are complete opposites.
One is suffering more physical harm than a twinkie tossed into Kirstie Alley's dressing room.
Another will fall asleep at the wheel and, of course, more antics you can predict before buying a ticket.
There's nothing in Due Date that is exciting, brilliant, new or shocking. Phillips has the ability to wow us, and has in previous movies like Old School and The Hangover, but he's playing it too safe in this one. It's not a horrible film, and some moments stand out as hilarious, but the pace needs to be faster, the jokes need to be increased by a factor of 10 and silliness needs to be allowed to rule the day. Moments that become reflective or want to teach us a lesson should be verboten!
Even the chemistry between Galifianakis and Downey feels weak. Each one knows the role he is supposed to fill, and never really strays from the predictable to be different. Downey gets to be the outraged put upon guy driven to extreme insanity and anger. Galifianakis is the fool and court jester acting stupid for our amusement. Each role could use a dash of reality to make them more interesting.
Sure, you'll laugh a few times, but we should be laughing much more.
1 ½ Waffles (Out of 4)
Due Date is rated R for language, drug use and sexual content.
