Review by Doug Cooper
Stars Robert Downey Jr, Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan,
Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis, Danny McBride,
RZA, Matt Walsh, Todd Phillips
Written by Alan R Cohen & Alan Freedland
Certification UK 15 | US R
Runtime 95 minutes
Directed by Todd Phillips
This woeful effort is the bastard offspring of The Hangover. Whereas the hit comedy of last year was inventive, refreshing and consistently hilarious, Due Date is surly, unpleasant and deeply unfunny. Even though it shares the same director and one of its stars it never comes anywhere near to approaching the former film's comic heights.
Robert Downey Jr plays straightlaced architect Peter Highman, desperate to return home to LA to be present at the birth of his child. Unfortunately, at an airport in Atlanta, he gets into an altercation with scuzzily attired would-be actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), a devoted fan of Two and Half Men with a liking for weed. They are chucked off the plane by airline security and are put on the no-fly list, so Peter reluctantly agrees to share a car with Ethan, having lost his wallet and credit cards, on the 2,236 mile trek to Hollywood.
They stop off for mirthless encounters with Ethan's drug dealer (Lewis), crash the car when he falls asleep at the wheel, pay a visit to Peter's pal (Foxx) who may still harbour romantic longings for his wife, take a mistaken route to the Mexican border, where Peter is interrogated by officials and Ethan causes carnage when rescuing him, loiter briefly at the Grand Canyon before they finally make it to LA in the nick of time so Peter can get to the hospital and be with his wife.
As you can see, there's plenty of incident to keep things moving but hardly a laugh to be had. It was met with stony silence by all those present at the critics screening I attended. But if you're pissed with your mates and you catch the film in a packed cinema on a Saturday night you'll probably find something to tickle your funny bone. Galifianakis masturbating in tandem with his pet dog wasn't my cup of tea but it might be yours if you're undemanding and inebriated. Devoid of wit and with two utterly charmless performances from the two leads, Due Date is a painful misfire. You have been warned.