Review: Due Date

Due Date (2010)

Due Date is 2010’s road trip buddy comedy offering starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis, who also starred in The Hangover. It is also reminiscent of Planes, Trains and Automobiles released 23 years ago. But can Due Date live up to the critical acclaim of that film? Or does it feel cheap, ripped off and not very funny? Read the review to find out.

The plot of Due Date being that Peter (Robert Downey Jr.) has to make it across the US to Los Angeles from Atlanta without money or ID after a misunderstanding at Atlanta Airport caused him to land on the “No Fly List”. However, he does have the option of riding with the eccentric Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), which would make the trip somewhat awkward and inevitably annoying. Out of options Peter chooses to ride with Ethan as he has 5 days to get back to LA to see his wife give birth.

Peter Highman, the designated normal character, comes off as quite aggressive and brutal towards Ethan and seems to have a tendency to have ludicrous mood swings. Robert Downey Jr. does a good job here delivering a well acted performance of Peter and managing his emotions well. It is amusing how one minute he’s deliberately driving fast over speed bumps to cause Ethan pain, and the next minute he’s saying “I take every derogatory statement I’ve ever said about you back... I love you”.

However, it is Zach Galifianakis that makes Due Date a funny film. Starring as Ethan Tremblay, an aspiring actor who’s farther has just passed away, this man is eccentric to say the least; he really is bizarre (although that seems per usual for Zach Galifianakis). Galifianakis seems to be getting his foot in the door of the film industry now, starring in The Hangover, Dinner for Schmucks and even managing to save What Happens in Vegas from being a complete train wreck of a film. Galifianakis is as funny as ever here, portraying a lonely, pitiful oddball that has all the funny lines. Carrying his Dad’s ashes around in a coffee jar doesn’t turn out so well when somebody decides to make coffee, giving us one of Due Date’s funniest moments.

What lets Due Date down is its inconsistency. Although the pace increases in the second half of the film, I felt there were almost no laugh out loud moments passed the halfway point. A feel good atmosphere does take over towards the end, and when the duo gets to the hospital, there is one briefly hilarious moment, but ultimately it doesn’t make Due Date a great film. Perhaps if the second half had been as funny as the first I would have recommended a buy.

Some action packed moments such as when Ethan uses a car to tow away a building shine out as examples of how good this film could have been if it had been consistent. The funniest part to this film is actually Ethan’s stupidity, like deliberately eating things you’re allergic to or having a masturbating dog. I would recommend renting Due Date since it has spats of hilarity and the two main characters are quite funny and well acted. It’s probably best you watch this with friends because if you’re in a positive mood while watching Due Date, you will probably think of it much more brightly.

Score: 6.5

Recommendation: Rent