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One of my favorite holiday films is Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It is all about a snooty ad exec who has to travel across country with a messy, obnoxious (but big hearted) oaf.  Although the similarities abound in the new movie Due Date, I don’t see this one becoming as timeless nor did I find it as endearing.  

Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) is an uptight architect with anger issues. He is trying to get from Georgia to LA for the birth of his first child but when he is tossed from his flight he must rely on the help of an odd traveling companion. Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) is an immature, talkative, actor with absolutely no social skills. The two are thrown together and have to make the drive across country without killing each other. Mishaps ensue along the way but of course they both learn about life at the same time.  

This film is produced and directed by Todd Phillips who is best known for last years comedy smash, The Hangover. He brings back Zach (who carries a bulldog instead of a baby) and adds box office iron man, RDJ. But before you rush off to grab your ticket you need to know that though a decent comedy it pales in comparison. Due Date tries too hard and fills up the time with an over abundance of awkward situations. The main characters are too extreme which causes them to lose sincerity and it makes them less relatable. John Candy and Steve Martin had a subtle ease about them which worked perfect in this environment with PT&A. Here Peter is too over the top angry and Ethan comes across many times as a skit character and not a solid fixture.  

The film does have its funny moments. (Most all of which are in the trailer) Zach is certainly the flavor of the month with his dry delivery and trademark beard. I am not sure how many more films people will want to see him in before it becomes too cliché and over done. But for now it still has a charm and attraction to it. But do not look for any sort of stretch in the character. You could almost cut and paste his past roles with no difference. Downey gives what you would expect. His face is a draw for the box office but I doubt in years to come that anyone will have this on their list of RDJ faves.  

Due Date is rated R for language, drug use and sexual content. The language could have been trimmed down and at times the writers wield it like a baby with a power tool. Also I feel like they took the easy route instead of trying to be creative and truly pen a solid comedy. The sexual content is minimal but sophomoric and made for the 18 year old males with nothing to compare it to. These moments could have been left on the cutting room floor and we would have been better off. Due Date gets 3 out of 5 cups of coffee. If you go into it knowing that you have seen 90% of the comedy already in the previews, and you are ok with mediocre laughs; then you may enjoy it. If you are still riding the high of The Hangover and expect anything close to that then you will walk away very disappointed.  So says Matt Mungle

Matt Mungle

Review copyright 2010 Mungleshow Productions. Used by Permission.