Due Date

Robert Downey Jr’s involvement in a movie automatically leads me to anticipate it these days. But Due Date has reminded me that he can’t turn a stinker into something worth seeing. Downey Jr. plays an expectant father who, through a series of misunderstandings, is put on the no fly list and must find his way across the country before his wife’s scheduled delivery. Of course, as would only happen in a movie, the only way he can make his trek is with the weirdo who caused him to get kicked off the plane in the first place. That weirdo is played by Zach Galifianakis.

Due Date’s first of many issues lies with Galifianakis’ character’s complete lack of positive character traits. He is so annoying and frustrating that it’s hard to follow the compassion of Downey Jr’s character. Then throw in the disgusting habits and dangerous moments that make the audience cringe instead of laugh and I think the movie would be more successful as a psychological thriller rather than a comedy. Downey Jr. gives a good performance to an extent, but since the audience isn’t given a thorough view into his life, it’s not as strong as it could be. About the only thing that’s told is that he has “anger issues.” Smaller roles by Danny McBride, Jamie Foxx and Juliette Lewis don’t really make anything funnier but add to the embarrassment and overall dilemma the story faces.

With awkward/odd couple films the resolution needs to show some kind of relief or understanding, and Due Date tries but is ultimately unsuccessful. The slow moving film spends too much time trying to make ridiculous situations unbearable and little time building camaraderie. I’m not buying it that these two complete opposites can get high while driving following a near fatal car crash and suddenly become best friends. The over the top antics worked for director Todd Phillips in The Hangover but not this time. (4.0 out of 10)