Due Date (2010) User Reviews (376)

If you are looking for believability, please try to remember this is a comedy.

[DarkVulcan29 · 8/10 · 9 November 2010]

The critics are being pretty harsh on this film, and yet they give high praise to such films like Role Models and Get Him to the Greek, so go figure. But I had a lot fun with Due Date, It was a fun slapstick misadventure, almost what we loved about The Hangover, so it is clear to say I don't agree with the critics on this one.

Peter(Robert Downey Jr) an architect looking to get home to his pregnant wife(Michelle Monaghan) who is expecting in a week. And when he gets on a plane, he quickly gets kicked off, when he gets into an unfortunate incident with Ethan(Zach Galifianakis) a pot smoking moron, and wanna be actor, who is obsessed with the show Two and a Half Men. When Peter is looking for new ways to get home. Ethan has a car and offers to drive him. Although it is against Peters better judgment, but feeling there is no other way, he goes with him. Will Peter make it on time for his child's birth, or will Ethan drive him nuts during this?

A lot of people said this is a Plane,Trains and Automobiles ripoff, but you know what who cares. This was a funny laugh out loud film. Downey and Galifianakis have funny chemistry, they just play off each other perfectly. Like The Hangover it is one entertaining misadventure, I say don't listen to the critics, see this movie and form your own opinion.

Don't expect expect The Hangover or compare to PT&A'S and you might like it.

[jjcuse11 · 7/10 · 20 November 2011]

I only am writing this review basically to respond to the other reviews posted. While i have to admit that Due Date is not in my list of top ten movies of all time, but it seems that a majority of the other reviewers of this film are comparing it to Plains Trains and Automobiles. Which i might add is in my top 3 comedies of all time. (Huge John Candy fan) This is suppose to be a review of Due Date. Not a review of comparing Due Date to PT&A. I think it is pretty obvious that PT&A is a classic and was the type of film that comes along too few and far between and is hard to compile the amount of talent shown by two leading roles for a comparison. With that said, I can agree that Phillips' seems to be getting a little complex with his story lines (this one we have seen before) and understandably after the success of The Hangover and previous comedies this will be compared to and for the common movie goer siting down to watch Due Date with those other story lines and plots in mind will be disappointed. Once you accept the story line and look into the characters i feel RDJ and ZG make the most of there characters come to life and deliver each role quite well. Remember folks, this is a comedy. Overall i would describe Due Date as a wild road trip for two strangers with completely different personalities with some twists and turns along the way that will make you laugh. Not a great movie. But well performed and should enjoy if you go into it with the right mind set.

Stick with its predecessor - Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

[dfranzen70 · 7/10 · 11 December 2011]

I think that Due Date operates under the main premise that the viewer has never heard of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, for if they had, they'd be wondering why they were watching the same movie with all the jokes stripped out. Due Date is, in total, neither a terrible nor an offensive film. Its problem is that it's a little too bitter, thus eliminating with surgical precision any empathy we might have for its two protagonists. It's a road trip with an obvious end in sight and somewhat unpredictable wacky hijinks in between. You could do worse, but you could do much better.

Peter Highman (Robert Downey, Jr.) is an architect who's attempting to fly out of Atlanta back home to Los Angeles to be with his wife Michelle Monaghan, who's about to give birth. But thanks to a bag mixup with a fellow traveler named Ethan Trembley (Zach Galifianakis), Peter finds himself stranded in Atlanta, placed on the national No Fly list (minor misunderstanding, of course). Ethan offers him a cross-country ride in his rental, and off we go.

The movie uses the trope of mismatched people enduring a common experience. Peter is uptight, dithering endlessly about what to name his newborn. Ethan is, well, flighty. In fact, Galifianakis seems to be playing the same character he played in the two Hangover films: childlike, maybe psychopathic and/or sociopathic, not all there. He's wildly misinformed about such things as the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam, but he is heading west to try to make it as an actor in Hollywood. Oh, and did I mention he's carrying the ashes of his deceased father in a coffee can to dispose of along the way? Well, there's that, too.

You and I both know that there's no way Peter and Ethan will make it from Georgia to California without any problems. But Peter has no choice - his wallet was confiscated at the airport, and his bags are on their way to LA. He has no cash and no ID. It could happen to anyone. So he's essentially at Ethan's mercy. Along the way, we learn much about the characters and what makes them tick, but whereas the earlier Planes, Trains got melancholy without getting maudlin, this one achieves no such feat.

Downey, Jr. and Galifianakis give it their best shot, and to tell the truth they're not bad. They make an okay team; it's just that it's a teaming we've seen before, and much better. Steve Martin and John Candy got into their share of situations that would never happen to a normal person, but they also ran into problems with which we could all relate; here, it's more of the former than the latter. It's as if the movie keeps daring itself to get weirder and weirder.

The final, near-fatal flaw of the movie is that it really doesn't give you anyone to root for - except of course at the end. It's a comedy, after all. But these guys do some rather nasty things to each other, and not in the oh-no-he-didn't sort of way, either; rather, in the scowling, almost hateful way. It's a little disconcerting at times. But the actors do their best, as I said, and you could do worse.

"My father loved coffee, and now we loved him as coffee."

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 7 February 2011]

I had read mostly mediocre review of "Due Date", so I was already going into this movie with a negative impression, but I must confess that the reviews I had read hardly paid the proper respects to this movie, because I found "Due Date" to actually be quite nice.

It is a pretty straight forward comedy movie in the likes of "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" starring Steve Martin and John Candy, so if you are familiar with that classic comedy movie and liked it, then you will definitely like "Due Date" as well.

The story, shortly put, is Peter Highman (played by Robert Downey, Jr.) getting into trouble because of Ethan Tremblay (played by Zach Galifianakis) outside the airport, and from there, the funny and awkward situations just escalate.

I found the story to be likable and funny, and there was a lot of really great humor in the movie. Again, I refer to the Steve Martin and John Candy movie. Lots of far out there situations that make you laugh and sometimes even curl your toes in disbelief. Aside from the funny moments, then there was a nice theme with friendship and differences shining through here as well.

The acting in "Due Date" was right on the money and good. Downey and Galifianakis are really working great together, Highman being the one with his life neatly planned and everything usually in place, while Tremblay's life was chaotic and in disarray.

For a comedy, then "Due Date" delivered lots of entertainment and good laughs. If you enjoy comedies with more to it than just the average drunk and teen-sex themes, then "Due Date" is well worth checking out.

Another hilarious adventure!

[andynaik · 7/10 · 25 October 2010]

Saw it today at an advance screening in CU.

On one hand is a businessman, Peter Highman, who's trying to take a flight to LA to meet his wife who is about to have their child. On other hand is an aspiring actor, Ethan Tremblay, trying to make it big in Hollywood. They meet at the Atlanta airport and the adventure begins.

Having being denied boarding the flight, the reason for which I won't spoil here, they are forced to take a road trip to LA. Plus there's a dog with Ethan. Peter's already regretting the decision but has no choice. The next couple of days are full of surprises neither of them is ready for.

Feeling completely out of place, Peter is harassed by endless questions and embarrassed by outrageously hilarious behavior. He has no idea he will end up from a businessman in Atlanta to a guy with ripped clothes, a broken arm, a gunshot wound with handcuffs two days later.

There's never a dull moment in this movie, even though it has a few serious moments. It brings a refreshing feel to the movies this year and will make you laugh as much as, if not more than The Hangover. RDJ as always, is brilliant with the role of the utterly frustrated businessman who would kill Ethan if it was legal to do so. Zach is, well, perfect as the plump wannabe actor who says and does inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times. Get ready for another hilarious adventure from Todd Phillips! Oh and check yourself before you wreck yourself with laughter!

Planes, Trains and Labour Pains

[Jonathon_Natsis · 6/10 · 1 February 2011]

If there was one downside to come out of director Todd Phillips' magnum opus The Hangover, it's that every film he would lend his name to in the future would inevitably be compared to it, and it's fair to say Due Date comes up short in that regard. Saying that, the film has its strengths and the cast delivers an above-average final product, but it does little to stand out amongst most other comedies released in the last decade.

Downey Jnr. plays highly-strung expectant father Peter Highman, whose confrontation with Galifianakis' Ethan Tremblay at the airport results in both men being placed on a no-fly list. With no identification or cash to his name, Peter has no choice but to hitch a ride with Ethan if he wants to get to Los Angeles in time for the birth of his child. Ethan, meanwhile, has plans of making it big in Hollywood as a recurring character on Two And A Half Men, thus fulfilling his lifelong dream.

It almost goes without saying that this film would fall flat if chemistry between the two leads was lacking. Thankfully, both Downey Jnr. and Galifianakis, two of the more comically capable actors of their generation, do a respectable job with their characters. Ethan is particularly well crafted as an individual both physically and verbally funny, but at the same time one who harbours a deep emotional emptiness due to an innate need to make his late father proud of him.

Due Date must have felt like a reunion of sorts for Downey Jnr., who appears alongside three former co-stars in Michelle Monaghan (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Jamie Foxx (The Soloist) and my favourite actress Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers). The first two fill their roles to satisfaction, but I was disappointed with how Lewis was used. Portraying a drug dealer supplying Ethan, who uses marijuana to 'deal with his glaucoma', her role is disappointingly minor, especially considering rumours that her character was meant to be an extension of Heidi from Old School, an earlier, and very funny, Phillips comedy.

For the most part, the film operates as a road trip comedy with a simple plot, which allows it to deviate from the story frequently to deliver humorous set pieces not at all relevant to the final scene. The best example is an escape plan hatched by Ethan to break Peter out of a detention centre when he is suspected of being an illegal immigrant. Of course, the scene plays out in the most ridiculous fashion, and requires a massive suspension of disbelief. But, pointless as they may be, these gags are tolerable due to the light-hearted context of the film, even if some jokes are hit and miss depending on your taste in humour and sense of political correctness.

More than once, you get the impression that Phillips and the rest of the crew are just going through the motions, putting a slightly new spin on otherwise recycled comedy. Overall, however, Due Date concludes nicely, delivering no more and no less that what should be expected.

*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on [e-mail] and let me know what you thought of my review.*

A comedy of mass frustration

[The_Film_Cricket · 24 March 2011]

Due Date is a comedy of mass frustration. I'm not just talking about what happens to the characters in the film, no, this is simply a frustrating comedy sit through. Here is an all-too-familiar road picture that pins together two people who hate each other and sends them cross-country on a madcap adventure. Needless to say, one guy is an average Joe that we identify with and the other is a blithering idiot who makes every moment a nonstop irritation. If this sounds, at all like the great Planes, Trains and Automobiles, you're not far off the mark.

That earlier movie was a great American comedy. It was funny and endearing because we cared about both parties. We wanted to see Steve Martin get home and we cared about John Candy's shower ring salesman despite all his goofy inefficiencies. Here the Martin role is filled by a very sour Robert Downey Jr. as Peter Highman, an uptight yuppie on his way from Atlanta to Los Angelas to witness the birth of his first child. The John Candy role is filled by Zach Galifianakis, as Ethan, an irritant on two legs who gets Peter thrown off the plane when he won't stop saying the word "bomb". Neither of these two characters are really funny enough to spend any amount of time with.

Peter is probably a nice guy. He seems to care about his wife but he spends the entire movie in a state of boiling anger and that's probably because he is saddled with a guy so insufferable that he could turn even the gentlest soul into a state of rage. Through a series of mishaps, mostly thanks to Ethan's idiocy, they get into every kind of trouble including: A fight with a veteran in a wheelchair; vehicular theft at the Mexican border; a shooting; a car accident; and questions about whether Peter's wife is pregnant with his child.

None of this stuff is really funny. It all seems episodic and some of it is quite violent and unpleasant. I think some of the comic energy that should make these scenes work is missing. We cringe when we should be laughing. I also think that most of the film's failure falls on the head of actor Zach Galifianakis who always seems to illicit the same effect on me as a noisy car alarm. I have seen him in three films now and he always plays the same annoying character: An oddball doofus who has a never-ending repertoire of annoying and disgusting habits. Ethan is a pothead with an annoying dog and even more annoying habits - all of which get under Peter's skin and sadly ours too. His presence, I swear, brings this movie to a dead stop and since he occupies at least 90% of it, you can imagine how unpleasant this movie is.

Due Date was directed by Todd Phillips, who made The Hangover, one of my favorite films of recent years. What that film had was a collection of likable characters and a narrative structure that pulled us from beginning to end. Here his story an episodic series of annoying moments and mean-spirited characters. It ranges from disgusting to irritating to violent and finally soft and cuddly. The problem is that very very rarely ever funny.

** (of four)

Not Better Than The Hangover... But Close, Very Close To Be

[franciscoraposo72 · 7/10 · 6 January 2012]

Call me crazy if you want to, because this is my fourth favorite movie. Better than Horrible Bosses? No. Better than The Hangover? No. Better than The Hangover Part 2? No. But, as I said before, this is honestly my fourth favorite movie.

Lets start of by saying that this movie has an awesome cast, including Robert Downey Jr., known from Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Tropic Thunder, Sherlock Holmes and much other movies, the great Zach, one of my favorite actors, which was just hilarious in this movie, totally hilarious, for two reasons, first, because he's the same actor, and second, it looks like Zach Galifianakis is the same character in this movie and in The Hangover and The Hangover Part 2, only with a different name, right, but even though, I didn't thought that was a bad thing, it all, Zach Galifianakis is known from The Hangover, The Hangover Part 2, G-Force, What Happens In Vegas, Dinner for Schmucks, It's Kind of a Funny Story and much other movies, the cast also includes Michelle Monaghan, which was okay n this movie, even tough she had a small role, but she was an important character though, she is known from The Heart-Break Kid and some other movies, there's also a bit of Juliette Lewis in this movie, she was hilarious in it, even tough she had like a 5 minutes screen time, she is known from The Switch, Whip It and some other movies, Danny McBride who did also had just a few minutes screen time, but he was very funny in it, Danny is known from Pinaeplle Express, The Foot Fist Way, The Heart- Break Kid, Hot , Your Higness, 30 Minutes or Less and much other movies and the cast also includes the director of this movie, and the both Hangover movies, the director Todd Phillips, which had an okay small role, his role looked like his role in The Hangover when he was in the elevator, Todd Phillips is known from directing The Hangover, The Hangover Part 2, Old School, starring in The Hangover and not much more than that and other guy who I was forgetting about, Jamie Foxx also stars in this movie with a nice role, Jamie Foxx is known from, lets see, my favorite movie, Horrible Bosses, The Soloist (which Downey Jr. also appeared in), Ray and some other movies. Sow, as you can see, this movie has a great cast, but that's just a small great thing from this new masterpiece.

Peter Highman (Downey Jr.) is an architect who's heading home so he can be there for his son's birth, his pregnant wife, Sarah Highman (Monaghan) makes sure that everything is according to plan and he comes back at the due date. After a little accident in an airplane, which was supposed to take Peter home, caused by Ethan Chase/Tremblay (Galifianakis), Peter is now on the no fly list because of him. Peter has no way going home but going with Ethan in his car so he they can both can get back to Los Angeles, Peter, to can get to his son's birth and Ethan will have to make it there so he can have a meeting with his agent (Ethan is an actor). Everything was going okay, but Peter didn't know that he was going to have a long ride and he didn't know that Ethan is probably the worst person that he ever met. Ethan will only make bad things during the trip, he will spend all their necessary money on drugs, he will go to a waffle house even though he knows he's allergic to waffles, he will be constantly be talking during the trip, he will still a cop car and... he will fall a sleep during in a car where Peter is also sleeping and he will let the car fall from a bridge, but those are just some of the bad things he will do along that crazy road-trip. Can Peter make it to Los Angeles surviving one of the most horrible persons he ever met?

Sow, this is just a masterpiece, first, I can't look at this movie without laughing, when I see Galifianakis on a scenes, I just can't stop laughing, this road-trip movie is just hilarious, entertaining and much better than some recent comedies, in a minute you will be watching a thing in it, and in the other scenes you will be watching a totally different thing in it. Okay, as I said, this is my fourth favorite, some people didn't like it, and some probably will not, but one thing is for sure, if someone watch this movie, it will laugh so hard that will want to pause the movie just can get back breading. Fourth best movie ever. 100% recommended. Grade: A+.

Hilarious

[fischermoto · 10/10 · 7 January 2012]

Zach Galifianakis is so funny in this movie. The complaints about the stale plot, the ridiculousness of the characters' behavior, or the failure of the characters to garner a connection with the other reviewers- or to inspire love or empathy- may all be valid points. I didn't find this to be true, but one could see how others would make the case that the film was nothing special. Nevertheless, I just laughed hard and frequently at Zach Galifianakis throughout. 10 stars. That's all, I am adding lines because they have a minimum of 10 lines. I am not Gene Siskel. Just recommending a comedy; people take insignificant things too seriously

Mediocre, like most films

[jose-cruz53 · 6/10 · 12 January 2013]

Due Date is simply one of those numerous mediocre comedies produced by Hollywood year after year. That's pretty much sums it all. One of the differentials of this comedy are the fact that Zack's character is more compelling than your typical set of characters in these comedies, although they are still far from being truly human characters: Zack's character is childlike and very naive, which helps the viewer to root a little for him. While iron man's character is pretty much a normal guy who is unsympathetic, like most normal guys: he is boring and hence performs the role of the straight guy of this show.

Recommended for those who like to kill two hours of their life in something other than watching TV series of videogames.

"Before the Hangover"

[Kamurai25 · 5/10 · 8 September 2020]

Decent watch, probably won't watch again, and can't whole-heartedly recommend.

This is an interesting movie to look at critically. The writing, mostly in the character work, feels weak. It actually has an interesting plot, for the most part: an idiot, through deceit, drags a jerk with him on a cross country road trip. It's a decent story, and I'd like to think of it as an spiritual predecessor to "The Hangover". The problem I have with it is that it feels like if there were better actors, then the characters would sell better. Then I remember it was Robert Downey Jr and Zach Galifinakas, and I'm not sure how much "better" you can get for these characters, meaning that they've probably already elevated the characters somewhat.

It feels like a lot of the movie is unnecessary, like antithetical Chekov's guns. Either it's for a tiny one time joke with little payoff, or it's part of a lot of work for situational comedy.

An example would be the dog, it really only has one significant joke in the entire movie (maybe 2), otherwise it's just a lot of maintenance.

The coffee can on the other hand is repetitively used to throughout the movie as it's part of the character themes.

I'm not saying it's not funny, if you like "Anger Management", then you might like this one, but I just think there are a lot better movies out there to watch.

Outstanding, hilarious, engaging.....

[city_mt · 10/10 · 5 August 2010]

There had been in my humble opinion a major lack of entertaining and good comedies in the film market, but then out of the blue I stumbled upon The Hangover. A film I didn't know anything about before I went to see it in the cinema. Just a few seconds into the film I started smiling and laughing, and they kept on pushing it, and I think there wasn't one single dull nor boring sequence throughout the whole movie. The reason why I'm telling you this is because watching Due Date gave me the exact same amazing comedy experience as The Hangover, and that speaks for it self!

Furthermore, the acting by especially Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifanakis were both top notch, and I thoroughly swallowed every word they said.

If you're in for a treat and hunger for laughs go watch Due Date as soon as you can! I honestly feel like I don't have words to describe it as well as it deserves, but I gave it my best shot and I hope you've got the message!

PS: I had the pleasure of seeing it in an early screening. The original premiere date is November 5th.

Low brow version of what was done better by Steve Martin and John Candy.

[nosp-4 · 3/10 · 7 November 2010]

This is a movie I was prepared to like because Robert Downey is an excellent actor and Zack G has proved to be a weird character who can be very funny in the right film.

But, it just doesn't work very well. This story has been done before, and with much better effect, in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. The two movies have a very similar story arc, but in the one case you have two very funny men playing actual mature adults who have differing personalities, and in the other you have two men who are immature imbeciles with differing personalities. The former are likable, while the latter are just annoying.

Zack G's character is just too bizarre to be credible, but at least you know where they are going with him. Downey, on the other hand, is an excellent actor badly miscast here. His demeanor is just too "dark" and his personality too brooding and cranky to play the part of a good family man trying at all costs to get home in time for his child's birth. To be honest, his character simply isn't very likable, and is sometimes just downright mean, even spitting in an innocent dog's face. This is in stark contrast to the frustrated everyman played by Steve Martin in P,T,&A - a person every traveler (stuck next to an obnoxious slob) understands implicitly. Another example of such a role being done to perfection is Jack Lemmon in The Out of Towners.

I suppose it didn't help that the theater was packed with very young children who had no business going to this movie. The very crude language, extensive drug imagery, and graphic masturbation scenes, while funny for adults, were grossly inappropriate for 5-12 year olds in the crowd. Some people clearly are not cut out to be parents.

Perhaps the most memorable line in the movie was Downey proclaiming that he had never done drugs in his life. Given Downey's well documented real-life problems, his statement in the movie couldn't help but make the audience compare the character to reality, thus serving to knock down the "4th wall" in the process. No doubt the contrast was created by intent, but I'm not sure it was a great idea.

As Steve Martin, John Candy, and Jack Lemmon proved, superior comedy and deeper laughs come from brilliant acting and comic timing. If you have to resort to endless gutter language, potty humor, and masturbating canines, you have already lost the game before it starts.

genuinely unlikable characters and not very funny

[MovieMystro · 10 November 2010]

While RDJ's character is a borderline A-hole, he seems to experience some growth and his humanity surfaces as the movie unfolds. My basic problem with this film was the fact that Zach's character is genuinely unlikable from start to finish. There's no real growth or movement to make the character less annoying or more likable. What you see is what you get and it grates on the viewer almost as much as it grates on RDJ's nerves. They deliver a few funny moments along the way but not nearly as many as I was expecting. It's a wild, unbelievable and sometimes annoying journey but it's not an overly funny trip. I felt that RDJ's talent was wasted as all he does is play the straight man to Zach's outrageous stupidity. Sure his performance and reactions are top tier acting but would anyone expect anything less?

The Hangover 1.5

[movieman430 · 7/10 · 1 November 2010]

This is essentially what the Hangover would be if it hit the road. Put Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis in a car and hope that hilarity ensues. And it does. The two play off each other very well, and embrace the mean spirited, but ultimately heartwarming relationship that forms between them.

The movie is very much about Downey and Galifianakis. It's not like the Hangover where there were tons of cameos and side characters to sustain the laughs; it almost all comes from the two guys. Galifianakis gets to be a bit much. He's better in a trio than as one half of a duo. But when he gets to be too much, Robert Downey Jr. effectively responds, acting out the audience's frustration with very gratifying results.

It's not the Hangover, but nothing ever will be. Due Date is funny in it's own way. The humor is a little darker thanks to a hilarious Robert Downey Jr., but director Todd Phillips still has fun sucker punching the audience with his signature brand of situational humor. Ultimately, this movie is very, very funny. It's been a few years since we've had a really good road trip movie. Sitting shotgun with these two guys is a fun way to spend an hour and a half.

In a Nutshell (Short Review): "Due Date" (7/10)

[mike-adly5 · 6/10 · 8 December 2010]

From the director of "Old School" and "The Hangover".....but I feel the urge to tell you more!

Ever since the astronomical success of "The Hangover" everyone is been waiting for director Todd Phillips to come back to us with a follow up, or at least something to keep us going until the release of "The Hangover 2" next year. Well, "Due Date" does the job, it is no Hangover but it is quite funny, entertaining and has two hilarious dudes that we all love.

A classic mix up in Atlanta airport ends up getting Peter (Robert Downey Jr.) and Ethan (Zack Galifianakis) kicked out of the plane. Even though they've just met and hit it off on the wrong foot, they both share a furious ride to LA with different motives; Peter in a hurry to make it to his child's birth and Ethan to get to Hollywood and become an actor.

Galifiankis side by side with Downey Jr. is what I call good casting, and it serves the movie right. The story, however, may seem a bit overdone at times specially on Downey's character side; it gets tense and you may even hate him for a few seconds which should not happen in such a comedy, but apart from that it's one long series of unstoppable laughing.

See the trailer? Seen the movie.

[Matt_Layden · 6/10 · 3 April 2011]

Due Date suffers from the same fate the seems to destroy a lot of other comedies. Everything that was funny in the film, you've already seen in the trailer. I can only think of one bit they do in the film that was obviously too risky for a green band trailer.

Due to a misunderstanding, Peter (RDJ) is thrown off of a plane and is officially grounded, meaning he can't take any planes to get home to his pregnant wife who is about to give birth. He decides to accept an offer from Ethan (Galifianakis), who has a car and wants to give him a ride back home. Hilarity ensues, right?

Due Date is a cruder and ruder version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, which is actually the funnier film. Galifianakis plays the same role he does in The Hangover, an obtuse and weird character. Here he plays up the obtuse and weird a tad more though. Robert Downey Jr. a ruder and cruder version of Tony Stark, minus the genius part. So if you like those aspects, the film will generally please you.

Of course the film wouldn't be funny without some obstacles in their way. Those obstacles are funny, but again, stuff we've already seen. The supporting cast helps the film a lot, Danny McBride, Juliette Lewis and even Jamie Foxx work well in their small roles.

John Candy and Steve Martin did it funnier years ago, which proves to me that comedy is always in the timing and not in the language. I find both Robert Downey Jr and Galifianakis funny, but they both seem to rely on the crude aspect of funny. I would say to stick with the original, although this isn't that bad a film, it just feels like a crude re-hash of something funnier.

Excellent film that seems to be cruelly reviewed by some...

[jaycp1979 · 9/10 · 12 November 2010]

At first i was a little hesitant about going to see this film. I guess i was a little worried that, as with so many other comedys (Grownups to name but one), all the best bits were used in the adverts/trailers for this film. I was wrong and boy am i glad i went to see this movie.

For me, its one of the funniest films i'd seen for a while with plenty of laugh out (and in some cases very loudly) moments. The story, and thus the film, flows from start to end with very little in the way of 'boring bits'. Downey Jnr was excellent throughout, as always it seems these days. Although my one negative was that the end was very and quite typically American in that 'everything works out' kind of way, but even that is a tiny moan on an otherwise very entertaining film.

Why so many people are comparing this to Trains, Planes & Automobiles... which by the way is one of my favourite films... i just don't get. Yes its 2 people, who are quite clearly opposites trying to get across the USA but that's where the similarities stop. This film and its comedy are clearly aimed at todays generation of movie goers and todays sense of humour which has evolved from what it once was... what was good 23 years ago in PTAA remains good, but show it to a 20 year old today and i'd bet some of the humour would be lost on them. If i made my younger brother, who's 17 years of age, watch something like a classic 'Carry On' film.. he'd be crawling up the walls inside 10 minutes. So i do feel to compare 2 films which a generation between them isn't quite right for me.

I'd recommend that you go see this film, enjoy it for what it is. A damn good laugh and great way to spend a couple of hours at the flicks.

Enjoy

It's all Uphill from Here

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 7 November 2010]

Greetings again from the darkness. Director Todd Phillips has become comedy director du jour thanks first to "Old School" and the more recent mega-blockbuster "The Hangover". This film is not quite at the level of the two prior films, but it certainly holds it own in today's multiplex. In other words, it has some laughs ... even a few laugh outloud moments. Especially if you have somehow managed to avoid the trailers.

The best way I can describe this one is as an updated "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", only with Todd Phillips humor, rather than John Hughes humanity. That being said, Mr. Phillips does work hard at minimizing the gross-out factor and does try to instill some true character development with Robert Downey, Jr and Zach Galifianakis. The element of fatherhood, both loss of and becoming one, plays a role as these two opposites bang heads for 3 days.

Ethan (Zach G) is an actor-wannabe, motivated by the sitcom Two and a Half Men. He is an excessively annoying individual who displays only the rarest moments of rationale behavior. Downey, Jr is reunited with his "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang" co-star Michelle Monaghan as an uptight architect (Peter) and his soon to deliver first child wife (Sarah). They get little screen time together, but the relationship plays a role. Circumstances cause Ethan and Peter into a rental car and cross country race to get Peter home before Sarah delivers.

The road trip includes a Western Union run in with Danny McBride, a pit stop for glaucoma meds with Juliette Lewis and a quick ride from Jamie Foxx, after Ethan falls asleep at the wheel and they fly off a highway ramp. Just when things seem better, Ethan partakes in some of the medication, takes a wrong turn and the two find themselves at the Mexico border, glassy eyes and all. This all occurs while Ethan and his dog work to befriend Peter, while transporting not only the "meds", but also Ethan's deceased father's ashes ... in a coffee can.

Many of the gags are predictable, but some are quite funny. It doesn't have near the gross-out element of "The Hangover", except for Ethan's pre-bedtime ritual and his matching dog. Would have liked a few more segments with cameos - maybe the other guys from "The Hangover", because the attempt at making these guys appreciate each other falls a bit short. The soundtrack includes Neil Young, Cowboy Junkies, Cream and Pink Floyd, so there is usually a nice background tune playing. Additionally, RDJ and Zach G prove once again that they are forces of physical comedy when provided decent material.

Not so good

[shaheenharandi · 4/10 · 3 September 2020]

This movie did have some funny parts. It's hard not to laugh Zach Galifianakis, he oozes humor with every expression and line. He does so throughout this movie and there are funny moments. Most of all for me is the scene related to the ashes and morning coffee (those who have seen it will understand what I mean). Though, overall, I found this film rather listless and boring. For me the chemistry between the 2 characters was missing, in contrast to the classic Planes, Trains, & Automobiles. I would recommend skipping this one.

Laughs throughout

[shuffleboard · 9/10 · 26 October 2010]

I've been very interested in watching this movie ever since I found out about it. I was a fan of Todd Phillips' The Hangover and through that I loved Zach Galifianakis. Robert Downey Jr. always does solid work. Through all of that I had high expectations and as with all expectations there is always a risk that they will not be met.

I caught a pre-screening of this in Michigan and it was highly entertaining. It's up to par with The Hangover to me and more meaningful. There were more sentimental moments here than in Phillips' last movie and the humor doesn't rely as much on gross-outs and raunchiness.

The cinema was laughing throughout the movie. It's not an original idea (comparisons with Planes, Trains, and Automobiles are inevitable) but it was more than satisfying. I say it's the funniest movie of the year but I haven't seen all the comedies released this year.

Highly recommended.

It might not be fair to compare it to PT&A but unfortunately, I am

[baumer · 3/10 · 8 November 2010]

When you make a road trip movie, and you have two mismatched characters sharing that road, one can't help but to think back to John Hughes 1987 masterpiece Planes Trains and Automobiles. It might not be right, but unfortunately, it just happens. And when you do, you come up with the conclusion that this film is a food stamps version of the real deal. While Todd Phillips is talented and Zack Galifinakis and Rober Downey Jr. are fine actors, the material in this film is just mean. In every way.

In PTA you had a work-a-holic who was trying to get home for Thanksgiving only to get stuck next to a slob. John Candy was that slob and for all of the shortcomings of his character, Del Griffith, the character, knew he was a bit of a slob, he knew he was a bit annoying and he knew that he was a bit hard to get along with. But when all was said and done, he was a sweet man and absolutely knew WHO HE WAS. If you compare him to Zack's character, it's like comparing a character after he has been through the editing process 17 times as opposed to the original draft that Galifinakis seems that he is. Candy might have been written like Galifinakis' character is at the beginning, but Hughes took the time to polish and shine him. And what we were left with a family man, indelibly devoted to his wife and a man who was giving, honest, kind and principled. He was flawed no doubt, but he wasn't a jerk. The same can be said about Neil Page, flawed, but a decent human being.

Due Date has unlikable characters. I mean every single character in here (with the exception of Downey's wife) is a complete jerk at times. Ethan Trembley is so over the top that you just can't take him seriously. He is just mean and he is such a slob that you have no empathy for him. Peter Highman is an angry, violent rage of a volcano that even when he is being helped across country to see his wife, he finds it hard to be nice. This is a man who will punch a child, spit in a dog's face and leave a man broke at a rest room while stealing his car. I found it hard to like any character in the film, but especially the two leads.

With PTA, there was humour in the situations. In Due Date, it's just not that funny because in this film, you have crack whores, lots of drugs, unrealistic and cringe-worthy situations, and scene after scene of incredulous acts that would get you punched out in real life. To see a man masturbate in the seat beside you is not funny. However, seeing the dog do it, I have to admit, is.

Due Date sis not entirely unfunny. There are sporadic scenes of humour. And Downey is good, as always. But like I said, maybe it's just wrong to compare it to PTA, but there were laugh out loud scenes like the car rental scene, "You're going the wrong way", "those aren't pillows", "do you think this vehicle is safe?" and so on on. Then at the end you have the cover of Every Time You Go Away and it fits perfectly with the tone of the film. At the end of this, you just have Zak being Zak.

I wanted to like this, but it disappointed me immensely.

3/10

Great movie, if it could lighten up a bit.

[thekarmicnomad · 24 July 2011]

A road movie about two different people forced to travel together, done before but a nice twist on it. Unfortunately it didn't work for me.

The problem is that this film is shot fairly sincerely with a degree of realism. I think the concept is best suited for a glitzy shallow comedy. With the likes of 'Road Trip' etc. the characters are two dimensional enough to bounce back from whatever is thrown at them, here funny moments are soured by the realisation that the characters are hurting.

To progress the plot a certain amount of zany events need to take place, again in a trashy comedy you can get away with throwing all kinds of bizarre obstacles at the characters. Here I found myself questioning the antics unfolding.

Where the likes of 'Planes Trains Autombiles' is light hearted with moments of tenderness this got a little depressing.

The production is great the acting is top notch, but by the end I was bored.

A perfect Combo

[somi_bahrian · 7/10 · 5 December 2014]

As on cover page, when you see Robert Downy and Zach, you just grab your popcorn. Movie has a lot of humor, it won't let you get bored. Story starts with a scene when a decent guy (Robert) bumps into a swag (Zach). And that little bump gets him into shot by Air marshal and detained from flying across US. Pretty much of a starter, then they both decides to travel all the way to LA, for like 2000 Kilometers. Robert is having a kid and he don't wanna miss the chance to be with his wife. While Zach wants to meet his consultant for a role. Zach's continuous nonsense keeps on humiliating and hurting Robert, which by the end made them friends.

A must watch movie it is.A funny humorous combination with stupidity, will make you die laughing. In case you are planning to watch it with your kids, don't do that, pretty much an adult movie.

The neverending showcase of Robert Downey Jr's talent

[torstensonjohn · 6/10 · 19 August 2018]

As it pertains to comedic partnerships, this film works pretty good with the pairing of Robert Downey Jr and Zach Galifianakis. It is the smarky and witty Tony Stark Meets the Hangover. Both performances were very well done and the physical comedy these characters went through was truly funny.

The film has a good ensemble but in my opinion poorly used in Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx and Juliet Lewis. The plot was creative as a man (Downey) is trying to make it home for the birth of his child. He is in Atlanta and unexpectedly meets Ethan (Galifianakis) who is on his way to LA to become an actor. They manage to both get thrown of the plane, put on the no fly list and end up stuck together trying to make it to California by car. There is a lot of collective thought from Planes Trains and Automobiles.

It is worth the watch for a laugh, it's a funny buddy comedy with heart. There will really be no disappointment in viewing this. I rate it a solid 6 out of 10.