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This Week's PCR Movie Review |
"Due Date"
Movie review by: Movies are rated 0 to 4 stars
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Director Todd Phillips has done some pretty funny films, including “Old
School” and last summer’s instant classic “The Hangover.” Both of those
films combined a funny script and a great cast. Unfortunately, with his new
film, “Due Date,” Phillips only got the formula half right.
Peter Highman (Downey, Jr) is on his way home to Los Angeles via Hartfield
Airport in Atlanta. His wife Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) is scheduled to
give birth shortly and he plans to be present during the delivery. As he
arrives he has an unexpected run-in with Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis,
looking spookily like Joaquin Phoenix after his goofy appearance on “Letterman”
), who is unwittingly heading for the same plane. Mix ups prior and after
boarding leave both men grounded with no way to get out west except by
rental car. Let the adventure begin!
Let me say right off that I liked this movie the first time I saw it, when
it was called “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” And while “Due Date”
features a fine duo of actors if doesn’t have the sweetness and laughs of the
John Hughes film. But this is through no fault of the cast. Downey has
beaten almost every demon imaginable to become one of the finest actors of
his generation. He is strong here but even though Peter is stuck in a
situation not of his making, you don’t really feel sympathy for him because he’
s such a jerk. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t react the same way he does
in the same situation, but that doesn’t mind I would like myself
afterwards. As Ethan, an actor-wannabe who runs a fan-site called “It’s Raining
Two and a Half Men” and longs to appear on the show, Galifianakis brings the
same sweet quality he showed in “The Hangover” and combines it with some
surprisingly strong dramatic chops. Traveling cross country with his late
father’s ashes in a coffee can and his dog, Sonny (a scene stealer), you
feel more for his plight in the adventure then you do Peters. This is in part
to a script that may have “read” funny but plays out as a series of one
unbelievable moment after another. Granted, many of them are mildly funny,
but they seem to have been written by a group (the film is credited to
four writers) who kept yelling out, “Oh, do you know what would be really
funny?” during the writing process. Two of the writers came from television,
where “do you know what would be really funny” works in 22 minute episodes,
and have no feature screenplay experience while another’s only script was
the unfunny “Made of Honor,” which itself was a rip-off of “My Best Friend’
s Wedding.” Note to future script writers: there is nothing wrong with
originality.
The supporting cast is pretty much wasted, with only Danny McBride
delivering on the funny. Jamie Foxx appears to be here only because he’s Jamie
Foxx, and his character is really nothing more than a red herring in the
story. Juliette Lewis and RZA complete the roster of “names” in small roles,
but since they’re not writers they don’t really help much. If there is
any bright spot, it’s that Phillips and Galifianakis are now hard at work on “
The Hangover 2” while Downey is filming another Sherlock Holmes film.
Hopefully 2011 will be better for both them and us.
On a scale of zero to five stars I give “Due Date”
To comment on this or any other PCR article, please visit The Message Board. This week's movie review of "Megamind" is ©2010 by Michael A. Smith. All graphics this page are creations of Nolan B. Canova, ©2010, all rights reserved. All contents of "Nolan's Pop Culture Review" are ©2010 by Nolan B. Canova.