Rated R for language, drug use and sexual content, 105 minutes
"Due Date" is an unoriginal buddy-buddy comedy
"Due Date" is essentially "The Hangover" transformed into a forgettable buddy-buddy road trip comedy. There are some decent cheap laughts in the otherwise unoriginal, uninspiring comedy from director Todd Phillips of "Old School" fame and stars Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis.
Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) must get to LA in five days to be at the birth of his firstborn. He is about to fly home from Atlanta when his luggage and wallet are stolen, and he is put on the "no-fly" list. Desperate to get home Peter is forced to accept the offer of Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) to hitch a ride with him cross-country. Peter is about to experience one of the most terrifying and agonizing journey's of his life.
Derivative, predictable and terribly mean-spirited "Due Date" pulls absolutely no surprises down the stretch. Sure, there are some low-brow laughs, but this is essentially "The Hangover" on the road. Speaking of which, Galifianakis plays essentially the same annoying slob as he usually does (he and Jack Black take turns with this), while Downey is supposed to the straight guy. There are plenty of shenanigans along the way, including wrecking a car, getting thrown off an airplane and drink ashes as coffee. The two start out hating each other and by the end of the movie, well you know what happens.
John Hughes' "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" did this thing far better and funnier, with Steve Martin and John Candy providing better characters and timing than "Due Date." Downey and Galifianakis are indeed talented, but they need a better script and direction; it becomes tiresome and overly predictable by the end, you can probably guess what will happen just by looking at the trailers. Danny McBride, Jamie Foxx and Juliette Lewis also get in the act, to mixed results (only McBride, as a handicapped but tough veteran, is hilarious and he nearly steals the film).
"Due Date" will do well in its first week and will likely be forgotten after that, and very quickly.
