I’m sure it looked good on paper. Take red-hot Robert Downey Jr., pair him up with Zach Galifianakis in another idiot role like his turn in The Hangover, and throw them in an Odd Couple remake on the road. However, it takes more than just a hip idea to make a successful movie. In the end, all Todd Phillips’ Due Date ends up being is a good premise in search of a story.
Downey Jr. is Peter Highman, a tightly wound architect on his way home from Atlanta to attend the birth of his first child. His wife Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) is set to undergo a C-section in three days and nothing will keep the expectant father from her side. Ah, but fate loves to toy with the plans of mortal man and Peter’s trip is soon derailed by Ethan (Galifianakis), a wannabe actor and full-time idiot. This weed-addled man-child ends up getting himself and Peter thrown off their plane and onto the no-fly list while his wallet and luggage are on their way to Los Angeles. Forced to travel together in a rental car, the two embark on a cross-country odyssey that finds them having to navigate one misadventure after another.
Four different writers have their prints on this screenplay and it shows. There are abrupt shifts in tone, which prevent the film from building any momentum. Peter’s attitude towards Ethan inexplicably changes at the one-hour mark and the film loses much of its comic tension as a result. Equally troubling is a sudden outburst of violence from Peter that’s jarring. It’s Phillips’ attempt to inject a bit of ill-considered pathos and a total lack of logic during the film’s climactic chase.
To be sure, Downey Jr. and Galifianakis are watchable throughout. However, we end up waiting for some decent gags to fully utilize their talents. They never arrive and, like Peter and Ethan, you’ll likely have a sense of being stranded as a result.
Contact Chuck Koplinski at ckoplinski@usd116.org.
This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2010.
