Movie Review: Due Date (2010)
Tonally it's all wrong, but there is a little bit of comedy to be had
Photo: Warner Bros.
When I returned home from Due Date a friend asked me what I thought of it. My immediate response was to compare it to a stand up comedy act that managed a few laughs, but in the end left me unsatisfied. Due Date has its jokes that work, most of which have already been seen in the trailers, but it has no idea what it wants to be tonally, and is just way too up and down to have a lasting impression.
The cast includes Zach Galifianakis, Robert Downey Jr., Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx, RZA, Juliette Lewis, Danny R. McBride and Todd Phillips. For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis choose from the following menu.
Review
"Due Date" is a Warner Bros. release, directed by Todd Phillips and is rated R for language, drug use and sexual content. The running time is 1 hour 35 minutes.
However, folks looking for The Hangover with this film will be sorely disappointed, but if you think of it as Planes, Trains and Automobiles mixed with the sarcastic timing of The Hangover and drench it in the dark comedy of Observe and Report you may have an idea of what to expect. However, liking any or all of those films doesn't necessarily mean you'll like this one.
At the center of Due Date is Downey Jr. as Peter Highman (a name that serves as its own obvious punchline) and he's got a bit of a nasty side to him, a side that's ready to come out once he meets Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis). Peter is on his way to Los Angeles for the birth of his child while Ethan is a "Two and a Half Men" obsessed, wannabe actor who's heading to Hollywood to make it big. Strangers at first, through a series of events Ethan lands the two of them on the "no fly" list and they soon find themselves traveling cross-country together from Atlanta to California in a rented Subaru.
It's at this point the audience already has a pretty good idea of who these people are. Peter seems like a more-or-less down to earth guy with a bit of a short fuse while Ethan isn't of this world. Ethan is an enigma of stupidity and he contains character traits I typically don't accept in films. A good comparison would be the two morons played by Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in Step Brothers. He's so dumb, Peter's impatience with him is deserved, but Peter's overall reaction is so mean-spirited it was hard to enjoy what I was watching.
Peter's nastiness may be adequate if he were dealing with a rapist or an axe murderer, but here it simply seems like he's beating down a weaker human being due to his own egotism. Ethan's intelligence level and social skills are so low, Peter's treatment of him is akin to punching a baby. This is proven after Peter belittles Ethan to such a degree no human would ever seek an apology, yet Ethan comes back to him like a beaten down puppy. He may be pathetic, but Ethan has a heart, a heart Peter is likely to chew up and spit out.
Dark comedy typically stands out and announces its presence. The problem with Due Date is that it's unwilling to accept what it's trying to be. I compared this film to Observe and Report earlier, and the comparison is apt during the film's darker moments, but otherwise fans of that film will likely be upset when this turns into a melodrama dealing with Ethan's recently deceased father, whom he carries with him in a coffee can. Is this the kind of guy that deserves to be called insignificant and left at a freeway rest area?
Despite everything I disliked about the film, Downey Jr. and Galifianakis are true talents, both manage to create solid characters and turn in good performances in a film that unfortunately isn't that good. Cameo performances from Juliette Lewis, RZA, Jamie Foxx and Danny McBride are decent, but in no way memorable. The best moment is probably when Phillips himself makes a cameo as Lewis's roommate while Galifianakis does a Godfather line-reading, mimicking Brando's performance and admitting he "worked really hard on getting the hand gestures" down.
Like I said in the opening, Due Date has its moments of comedy, but there is a mean streak running through it that turned me off. I never hated this movie as much as I was ready to leave when it was over and have no intention of watching again.
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not a fan of The Hangoever.. but would check this out for the hype of it.
brad, is there any heart-warming scenes that can be expected from this friendship?
yes, there is one I can remember, possibly more but it is quickly negated by a hate scene so…yes there is atleast one.
Exactly, any kind of friendship is, as you say, "quickly negated by a hate scene." This can work if the film is set up that way, but this film never establishes a tone.
Loved The Hangover and been disappointed with the bad reviews for this one, but I'll check it out anyway. I just can't abandon movies I've been looking for for months in the last minute like that.
That idea of a 'mean streak' is off-putting. I may be wrong, but I detected a strong whiff of that in the basic concept of 'Dinner with Schmucks' as well, and decided to leave that one off the viewing list as a result.
But I had been sort of looking forward to 'Due Date'.
its terrible how much critics reviews have a stand on moviegoers going to see a movie. This movie isn't gunna be that bad and I believe that just on Downey Jr.'s and Galifianakis's performance alone is worth the watch.
*** SPOILER ALERT***
I just got back from the movie and thought it was great, tons of laughs, great fun. One of the very many films I believe Critics and one of the few Brad got wrong In my opinion. When you guys talk about "hate scene" the film clearly sets up the stage as to why RDJr char does what he does & says what he says.
It's pointed out/hinted at a couple different times, he's in anger management training or has gone to it or some kind of therapy. He acknowledges the problem himself throughout the film! It doesn't mean he's right, it means he has a problem, even Jamie Foxx mentions it!
What would your reaction be to a Man Child who was jeopardizing you witnessing the birth of your own child!?
This point could probably only be understood with agreement to parents however it's still pretty obvious.
Would you not do WHATEVER it takes to be there with your wife as she's delivering your child. just my two cents.
SPOILER ALERT!
I agree totally with what you said about RDJ's short fuse and how frustrated he is because he desperately wants to be where he is needed. The Where I will agree with everyone else is in the fact that he is just mean spirited from the moment they meet. He's looking for an excuse to leave him, he tries to take over the trip and do it his way and I appreciated Ethan throwing down the my car, my money card on him. Usually when there is someone like Peter's character, their comments are still funny enough that you still like the character, but Peter is totally unlikable. The only a-hole moment that still had me like him was when he punched that kid in the stomach, but other than that I felt bad Ethan. He was trying to make conversation and get to know the person he was travelling with and Peter didn't really give much opportunity. After a while I was hoping he got that knock down to reality and he did, but I feel it came too late.