Feb
10
Comedy is a serious business, you either make it right to flush out giggle cream or not at all, otherwise it will be a complete waste of money and viewers’ time. Director Todd Philips though, won’t need an umbrella for any rain because he has little to worry about in his latest comedy film Due Date, where he manages to dish out another screwball cross-country humour, the other one being 2009’s big hit, The Hangover. Although Due Date isn’t as funny as the latter, it may well be a more deserving film for applause than any other comedy films in 2010.
For this fine albeit wild movie, Philips throws in an odd but workable pair in Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes) and Zack Galifianakis (The Hangover, Dinner for Schmucks). Due Date puts male fellowship under strenuous tests as Peter Highman (Downey Jr.), a tremendously uptight and soon-to-be-father architect whose wife’s five-day due date needs him to travel from Atlanta to Los Angeles, meets Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) who is a crack-smoking, barnacle-head wannabe Hollywood star, in an airport encounter. This encounter however, will ruin everything for Peter and throw him into the no-flight section. He is then forced to take on a cross-country road trip with Ethan in what moulded to be one literal hell of a ride.
Although Due Date has a few dreary moments like the Diner and the Grand Canyon scenes, there were instances where Todd Philips was able to hit the sweet spot of laughter. The moment where the car they both rode tumbled down from the bridge was hilarious, and the same can be said when they were at Darryl’s (Jamie Foxx) house enjoying coffee that turned out to be Ethan’s father’s ashes.
While it’s true that there are other actors qualified for the role of Peter, Robert Downey Jr. delivered a natural and convincing performance. His cool and grumpy antics gave his character much justice. And who else can deliver the goofed-off character of Ethan Tremblay better than Zack Galifianakis? Stooge-like roles are rapidly becoming his forte, not that it means any offense, and he’s the perfect actor for the wannabe actor Ethan Tremblay. It’s almost as if his role in The Hangover was prolonged in this movie, only with a different name, a different goal and a different company to spoil. The pairing of these two stars is quite odd and unexpected, but I think it worked out just fine.
There was one aspect of Due Date’s story that caught my attention – sadly in a downbeat way. The role of Jamie Foxx as Peter’s friend Darryl could have been more interesting if the controversy of having an affair with Peter’s wife was given life. Ethan suspected that Darryl isn’t really the friend Peter thinks of him which is supported by Darryl’s off the record stories, and this could have been an attention grabber for the movie. Unfortunately, in order for Peter to accept Darryl’s offer to lend him his car for travel, the filmmakers murdered the issue as if it didn’t matter. It could have given Due Date a kicker and would’ve brought Peter closer to Ethan.
All else, I’d say the movie has its own ups and downs. Sometimes it’s funny, other times it’s dull and boring. Great pair of actors, a little shaky story, but a wonderful, raucous ride, Todd Philips barely made it to heaven, and along with The Hangover, he may well have dodged the guillotine of the entertainment business.
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