Stale Comedy That is Past Its "Due Date"

Here is a movie that is funny in theory but not in practice. "Due Date", the seventh directorial effort from Todd Phillips ("Old School"; "The Hangover"), has a premise that is rife with comic potential and a seemingly ideal pairing of talent. The combination of Robert Downey, Jr.'s effortless charm and Zach Galifianakis' oddball appeal should have made for one seriously funny movie. The humor in "Due Date", however, is rather limp and uninspired, a disheartening collection of cheap, familiar gags. Cheerfully ribald vulgarity has always been a staple of director Todd Phillips, and in his best films---"Old School" and "Starsky and Hutch"---the outrageous raunch translates into hysterical comedy. Even in the wildly successful hit "The Hangover", a film that had its fair share of flaws, Phillips managed to mine some truly hilarious moments from delightfully raunchy material. But in "Due Date", the raunch feels at best misplaced, and at worst, cringe-inducing. I guess we are supposed to laugh when Zach Galifianakis and his dog are masturbating in the car while Robert Downey, Jr. is trying to sleep. But the scene is so distasteful and not at all funny. There are some inspired moments, such as the recurring fascination that Zach Galifianakis' character has for the show 'Two and a Half Men", but those moments are few and far between.

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The premise sounds good on paper: Peter (Downey, Jr.) is in a rush to fly back to Los Angeles in time for the birth of his child. At the airport, however, his bags get accidentally switched with those of Ethan Tremblay (Galifiankis), a man of extreme social awkwardness and low intelligence. Ethan's bag contains marijuana, and because it is in the possession of Peter, Peter gets the blame. Conveniently, Peter and Ethan find themselves on the same flight, and they engage in a verbal scuffle in which Ethan coerces Peter to utter the two forbidden words that you can never say on an airport. Both men are asked to exit the plane, and Peter is placed on the no-fly list. Because he is without a wallet or photo identification, and because he is desperate to get home in time for his child's birth, Peter reluctantly agrees to ride with Ethan cross-country back to Los Angeles. And of course, craziness ensues. Ethan makes Peter's life a living hell at every turn. The two men find themselves in ridiculous situations, none of which are beliveable of course, but the lack of realism is not grounds for failure in a comedy like this. I would have gladly suspended logic had this film been funny. No, the biggest sin of "Due Date" is that there are very few laughs.

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The talented cast is left to dry. I am a huge Robert Downey, Jr. fan---one of the coolest, most charming actors around---and he does everything he possibly can with his character. The same can be said for Zach Galifianakis, although I would like to see Galifianakis broaden his range a little bit, as he is essentially playing the same dweeb he played in "The Hangover". The supremely talented Jamie Foxx shows up for about fifteen minutes in a completely thankless, unnecessary role, and Michelle Monaghan is limited to yet another one of Phillips' paper-thin female roles that will provide further evidence to the argument that all of Phillips' films have an undercurrent of misogyny. No, the cast is not the problem. Rather, the screenplay, concocted by four writers including Phillips, is awfully weak. Instead of being treated to scenes of refreshing comic innovation, we are forced to sit through boring, offensive sequences like one in which Robert Downey, Jr. is assaulted by a veteran in a wheelchair.

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Todd Phillips has proven that he is a talented filmmaker. I loved "Old School" and "Starsky and Hutch", and I liked "The Hangover". But "Due Date" is a total misfire. While it may not be one of the worst films of the year, it is certainly one of the most disappointing. For Peter, the road trip with Ethan is a frustratingly tedious journey. Same for the viewer.