From the trailer for "Due Date," I was guessing that the film was either going to be really stupid or really funny. It ended up being a mix of the two, though luckily its humor was more on the funny side.
Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr., "Iron Man 2") is supposed to be flying home to LA from Atlanta so that he can make it back in time for the birth of his first child. When he meets the flaky Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis, "It's Kind of a Funny Story"), however, an incident between them on the plane causes him to be put on the No-Fly list, and he will have to drive back to LA from Atlanta. The only problem is that his wallet with his license and all his cash and credit cards was left on the plane; when Ethan asks if he wants to share his rental car, then, he has no choice but to accept. What then ensues, of course, is nothing short of disaster.
Downey Jr. and Galifianakis make a surprisingly good comedic duo. Downey Jr. doesn't usually do comedies, save for his droll character in the "Iron Man" series, and Galifiankis is an established "funny man," so I was wondering how well they would work together, and they ended up being great. In addition, Michelle Monaghan ("Eagle Eye") plays Sarah, Peter's wife, and Jamie Foxx ("Valentine's Day") has a short role as a friend of Peter's who lends them his car; he is also an ex-boyfriend of Peter's wife.
Yes, see this movie. You know a movie is funny when yourself as well as the audience is laughing continuously throughout the film, and when you can even remember specific lines from the movie the next day - for example, after the scene in the trailer where Foxx, Downey, and Galifianakis accidentally drink his father's ashes as coffee, Galifianakis quips "Well, that's the circle of life - my father enjoyed drinking coffee, and we enjoyed my father AS coffee." There's also a really funny scene involving the Mexican border, but I won't divulge too many spoilers about that. Anyone can enjoy this movie, although parents should note it's "R"-rating, and if you want to see a comedy the next time you're at the movies, I would highly recommend "Due Date."
"Due Date" will be released in theaters on Friday, November 5th.
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Liz Parker is a 2009 graduate of the University of Michigan. She currently works as an Assistant Medical Editor for a pathology website. Visit her at her movie blog Yes/No Films
