They say that it is hard to live up to high expectations and this could certainly be the case for director Todd Phillips as Due Date failed to have the same side-splitting impact as his previous work.
Although this film is by no means a bad comedy, there are a lot of hilarious moments throughout as well as great acting from Robert Downey jnr and Zach Galifianakis, however I think there was just more expected from Phillips who gave us the phenomenal hit The Hangover. Another drawback is that we have seen this formula before as it is basically an updated version of the 1987 comedy classic Planes, Trains, & Automobiles, starring Steve Martin and John Candy, but the original just did it better.
Downey jnr plays the highly strung architect Peter Highman who while trying to get to LA for the birth of his first child is unfortunate enough to bump into a weird aspiring actor named Ethan Tremblay, played by Galifianakis, and his pet dog. This chance meeting sets off a turn of events that is just pure bad luck for Highman as, through no fault of his own, he is thrown off a plane as a suspected terrorist, put on a no-fly list, and to make matters worse he has no money or ID on him. He is basically left with no alternative but to share a lift in a rented car with Tremblay and travel cross-country against the clock and under pressure. At first the situation is just about bearable but Tremblay has a nasty habit of causing trouble starting with sending the car crashing over a bridge and nearly killing them.
Tremblay’s strange view of the world and habits land the duo into even more trouble with Highman being attacked by a wheelchair bound war veteran while attempting to get money wired to him and his drugs possession arrest by Mexico border control followed by a great escape. Highman struggles to deal with Trembley but eventually through the chaos they form a friendship, of sorts.
Despite the fact that the film was not as good as I anticipated there were some good moments and you just cannot fault Downey jnr’s acting which commands your attention while Galifianakis is just funny, even if he stood stock still. Unfortunately there was just something missing, but do give it a go.
Verdict: 3.5/5
