Due Date

Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) is a successful executive expecting his first child. He is in Atlanta and needs to get home i.e. Los Angeles by Friday because his wife, Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) is having a C Section. He wakes up to take his flight on Tuesday morning after a slightly disturbing dream. He is about to get out of the car when a random car cuts in from the right and crashes into the car door. Thankfully no one is hurt. But out walks a visibly stoned / drunk Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) who as nonchalantly as possible asks Peter if he is fine and then moves on to board his flight.

Peter is visibly shaken but is more preoccupied with the thought of his first born and proceeds to board the flight. As he is moving through security, he realizes that one of the packages has been exchanged with Ethan. The worse news is that he is now carrying a marijuana pipe. Nevertheless, he manages to wriggle himself out of the sticky situation. But his troubles have just about begun. As luck would have it, Ethan is on the same flight and has been bumped upto first class and is now seated behind Peter much to Peter’s chagrin.

Some random conversation about terrorists ensues and it prompts a US Marshall to pull out a firearm on Peter and shoot him. Thankfully with a rubber bullet. Both Peter and Ethan are off loaded. Things seem to be going only downhill. As luck would have it, all of this wasn’t enough. Both of them are put onto a “No Fly” list. So they have no choice but to drive down to LA. In the melee, Peter couldn’t pick up his bags and wallet from the aircraft and finds himself without any money or id. Out of a lack of choice, he accepts Ethan’s offer to take him along.

Todd Philips’ 6th full length feature film to date. Considering that he made the likes of a Starsky and Hutch, the not so slick (but not so slapstick either) humour should have been expected I guess. But then, the same guy also gave us one of the best comedies made to date – The Hangover. But then Todd – one is only as good as his last movie. So the Hangover from The Hangover seems to have sailed you through Due Date as well. There were enough and more in the audience who were extremely thrilled with the movie and went out feeling satisfied – if that makes you feel better. But from my side, this was way below par. Especially after you have set the bar so high with The Hangover.

Robert Downey Jr. is as usual ice cold with his performance. Very smartly executed role from his end. And Zach “Tounge Twister” Galifianakis is superb with his performance as the aspirational Hollywood actor with a fondness for Two and a Half Men & is carrying his Dad’s ashes in a coffee tin because he thinks it is still vacuum sealed. No one else actually has a role in the movie. Jamie Foxx is wasted in his 3.5 mins of screen time. So is Juliette Lewis. Due Date is definitely entertaining but nowhere close to The Hangover. So don’t go expecting the quality of humour or execution that you saw there. Overall a 6 on 10. Definitely the best movie over the weekend.