If there was ever a case for the end of film advertisement, it is Due Date, the new comedy directed by Todd Phillips. Strictly speaking, it is a funny movie with a great cast. However, if you have been to the movies recently you have likely seen one of the trailers for this movie. Also, if you watch television at all you’ve likely seen commercials. As such, I can safely say you have seen the best that Due Date has to offer, though at its best it still packs a punch.
The “plot” can be described in one sentence: Peter Highman (Robert Downey, Jr.) needs to get back home to witness the birth of his daughter, but after ending up on the no-fly list he is forced to drive across the country with Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis). There you have it. Needless to say, complications arise as the pair make their way, and oh yes there will be blood. And masturbation jokes.
There are a handful of laughs to find here that AREN’T in any advertisements, but when you can recite a scene line-by-line without having seen the movie itself before, there is a problem. At the end of the day you really shouldn’t fault the film for that, because Todd Phillips wasn’t filming a scene and thinking about how awesome the previews will be. As such I have to say that Due Date is a relatively amusing movie. Unfortunately it doesn’t get much better than that, and that’s a bit of a shame considering all the pieces are in place for a comedy classic. The film just never follows through.
Due Date plays more like a series of sketches than a cohesive film, and the only two actors with any screen time to speak of are Downey and Galifianakis, who are more than capable of working some magic. In their Apocalypse Now-like trek across the American south and into the west, our heroes run across (in chronological order) RZA, Matt Walsh, Juliette Lewis, Danny McBride and Jamie Foxx. They survive a car wreck or two, a general beatdown and an illegal border-crossing among other things. There is no cohesive whole, but 100 minutes of episodic mayhem. It works more often than not, but it bothered me more here than it did in Phillips’ last movie The Hangover, which made obscene amounts of money. Also, towards the end this movie strains credibility, as some of the developments would make these two the most wanted fugitives in the country.
The emotional arc of each character is predictable enough, with Downey alternately hating and having sympathy for Galifianakis throughout and at all the right moments. But darn it all the actors make it better than the material has any business being. Robert Downey, Jr. has become one of the biggest actors in Hollywood, and deservedly so, and he is always a blast to watch. Galifianakis is rehashing his Alan character from The Hangover, but a few crying scenes are thrown in for good measure. He is capable of great things, but he is better than this film which provides him no challenges he hasn’t faced before.
This film in general is too closely aligned with The Hangover to entirely work on its own, but the same dynamics mostly work again because the cast makes it work. I’m not sold on Todd Phillips as a director, however, even though this film LOOKS great. For a film with the tagline “Leave your comfort zone” it’s awfully keen on never leaving it. There will be a Hangover 2, but this film already seems to have beaten it to the punch.
Due Date is not interested in being analyzed critically, however, but instead simply tries to make people laugh as much as possible. I laughed a handful of times, as did most of the people at the screening. However, it was the big picture that frustrated me, and as a whole it just isn’t as good as the sum of its parts. It merely stages setpiece after setpiece and does it in a fashion that’s as over-the-top as possible. However, it doesn’t hold the element of surprise that The Hangover had. It’s a road trip comedy with a moderate amount of laughs, but considering the caliber of talent involved you can’t help but feel as if an opportunity was missed. When you have Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis starring in the same movie, moderate amusement just doesn’t cut it.
Rating: 
(out of 4)
(out of 4)---------
Due Date will be released Friday, November 5.
For the most part I agree with you, especially the lack of any repercussions from all of their illegal acts, especially the construction zone. I understand the border patrol, because it would take days to get the US side involved and he had no ID, so they don't know who he is. But on the whole, I think it may have been a bit funnier than you are giving it credit for, but that may just be due to the excellence that is Downey Jr. and Galifianakis.
ReplyDeleteWhen the movie finished, my first thought was of liking it, but the further I get away from it the more indifferent I am towards it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't think it would have been that hard to find them, considering they were driving a stolen Mexican Border Patrol truck.