Australian Penthouse

Due Date

Director: Todd Phillips
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Zack Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis, Danny McBrideVillage
Roadshow

JUDGING whether a comedy is worth your hard-earned cash based on the merits of its trailer can be a difficult affair these days. Let’s face facts: almost every comedy, terrible or otherwise, has at least one or two laughs between opening and closing credits, so it’s very easy for trailer mages to put the best laughs into a two-minute teaser.

On paper Due Date looks like a strong comedy combination. Robert Downey Jr., has fantastic comedic timing, Zack Galifianakis put in a stellar over-the-top performance in the recently released Dinner for Schmucks and it has adult-comedy veteran Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Old School, Road Trip) at the reigns. Throw in some cameos from the likes of Juliette Lewis, Jamie Foxx and the ever-awesome Danny McBride, and the comedic potential is high.

The film centres around the ‘anti-bromance’ of Peter Highman (Downey Jr.) and Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) as they go through a Planes, Trains & Automobiles-style adventure of extreme misfortune and the bad luck that seemingly surrounds Ethan 24/7. Although often motivated by the best of intentions, Ethan is a colossal rubber for cringe-worthy events, with Peter being the unfortunate glue-covered receptacle of oodles of shit.

What starts off as a simple misunderstanding at the airport, ends with Peter and Ethan being added to the ‘no fly’ list. Peter needs to be in LA for the birth of his first child, while Ethan has high hopes of meeting with a Hollywood producer and showcasing his unique acting talents. Without a wallet or any form of identification, Peter is reliant on the unpredictable and ADD-addled Ethan to get home in time.

As would be expected, all sorts of highway hijinks ensue to test the already strained relationship between Peter and Ethan, creating some predictable tensions and some rather out there comedic moments.

When Due Date builds up to speed, it can be very entertaining, with its fair share of laughs across the board. It’s only when the film tries to balance typical Phillips-style oddball comedy with some intense dramatic moments that it gets lost. Having the audience cackling one moment and then suddenly switching the tone to some of the darker topics of life feels out of place in this type of comedy, and it destroys the comedic momentum that was building up, essentially having to start from scratch again each time it gets serious.

It’s understandable why Phillips hired Downey Jr., whose acting versatility allows him to swing between the comedic moments and dark seriousness with ease; but as these darker scenes don’t really fit with the overall tone of the film, it almost makes his casting feel out of place. Galifianakis, on the other hand, is heavily channelling his all-too-familiar character from The Hangover, Alan Garner. Ethan Tremblay is far from derivative, and this feels more like Galifianakis doing what Galifianakis does best—and, depending on how that phrase makes you react, will determine your level of appeal for his character.

Due Date has some genuinely big laughs, but is mostly grins and chuckles in this rollercoaster ride of a film that seems confused as to how seriously it should be taken. It’s not as corny or forced as The Other Guys, but for a by-the-numbers comedy, there aren’t as many genuine laughs as the recently released Dinner for Schmucks. If you’re familiar with the jokes in the various Due Date trailers, you’ve seen some of the bigger laughs of the film, too.

DUE DATE is in cinemas now

Review:  Nathan Lawrence