During the week we had the chance to catch a sneak preview of the new road trip comedy Due Date starring the delectable Robert Downey Jr and the hilarious Zach Galifianakis. We hadn’t heard too much buzz about it previously and had only seen one trailer so we didnt know what to expect. Luckily, it proved to be just as entertaining as the performances the two main stars have delivered in the past!
Due Date tells the story of Peter Highman, (Downey Jr) an overwrought, father to be. After an altercation on his flight home, he finds himself on the no-fly list. To make matters worse, his passport, luggage and wallet are all still on his fight. So he is forced to accept the offer of a lift from aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) in order to make it home in time for the birth of his first child. The resulting cross country road trip is filled with more mishaps and mayhem than you can shake a stick at. Bonus characters include Danny Mc Bride as a super hostile Western Union employee named Lonnie, Jamie Foxx as Highman’s best friend Darryl and Juliette Lewis as Heidi, a homely drug dealer the pair meet along the way.
The movie is by no means as hilarious as director Todd Philips’ previous offering of The Hangover. The franticly over the top style of comedy he is known for is somewhat missing from Due Date and there are nowhere near as many cameos. It doesn’t push too many boundaries, however it still holds its own as a brilliant comedy full of memorable quotes from the asoundingly stupid Ethan. He finds himself in so many cringe-worthy situations that you cant help but giggle like a school girl, and yet occasionally, you find yourself feeling sorry for him, especially when it comes to his relationship with Peter. Galifianakis is his usual hilarious self, bringing out the endearing qualities in an otherwise infuriating character. His one liners are delivered with perfect timing that occasionally had us choking on our diet coke. Peter, on the other hand is like Ethan’s total opposite. Downey Jr does a superb job of presenting us with a high strung workaholic who is completely unsympathetic when it comes to handling Ethan and his naivity about making it big in Hollywood. He is relentless in his berating of the poor guy, but somehow, the mean streak works. The pair bounce of each other so well and it makes for a great comedic viewing.
Overall, the escapades that Peter and Ethan find themselves in are hilarious in a far fetched kind of way. You would have to be pretty damn unlucky to suffer all the things that happen to them: being arrested twice, crashing more than one car, being trapped in a car with a masteubating dog, getting accidently shot, the list goes on. Fortunately, this is a movie, where reality is thrown out the window for comedy’s expense. It works for us, but it may not work for everyone. Those of you expecting The Hangover 1.0 or anything similar will be sadly disappointed. However, Due Date and the character of Ethan in general provide adequate laughs to tide you over until Alan and his Indiana Jones satchel return next year.
