Review - Due Date

Road Trip

What should be a simple trip across country becomes very difficult after Peter (Robert Downey Jr.) has a chance encounter with Ethan (Zach Galifianakis). The chance encounter leads to placement on the No Fly List and the daunting task of getting across country without the help of commercial transportation. Ah, but Ethan has rented a car, and with Peter having no ID or wallet (he left them on the plane) there was only one thing to do, ROAD TRIP!

The road trip is filled with bumps along the way. Ethan searches for his glaucoma medicine in Birmingham, annoys Peter at every turn, and even falls asleep behind the wheel causing a rollover accident. Despite Peter’s constant battles with Ethan’s personality, he knows he wants to make it home for the birth of his child, and he puts up with it all. But can they make it to Los Angeles?

This is truly a schizophrenic comedy. It rolls along for extended sequences with humor that is very predictable. And then, out of nowhere, bam, something totally unexpected happens to elicit chuckles. And the unexpected is usually coming from Peter’s behavior. He does things we just don’t see in comedies.

But despite the schizophrenic fun, Due Date’s ultimate downfall is the totally unrealistic, even in a marginal way, setups. To get our two individuals in a vehicle together is crazy in and of itself, but to go further and have them encounter some of the things they do, well that just isn’t right. I normally don’t dwell on this aspect, especially in comedies, but it is just too much.

I laughed at Due Date, and I laughed a lot. That’s a good thing, right? A fun film that has its own identity, Due Date is a unique take on the road trip film.

B

Due Date
Warner Brothers Pictures

Director: Todd Phillips
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis, Danny McBride

Rating: R for language, drug use and sexual content.
Runtime: 100 minutes.