Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis at Waffle House

An Awfully Familiar Storyline From the Late 80s Minus Trains

After an unusual and humorous series of events, odd couple, Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) and Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) find themselves desperate to get back to Los Angeles and will do anything to get there.

Peter, a high-strung, irritable, type A-businessman, is trying to high tail it out of Atlanta and get home to his wife (Michelle Monaghan, “Made of Honor” 2008) to be there for the birth of their first child. Ethan, on the other hand, is an aspiring actor (and I emphasize aspiring) trying to make it big in Hollywood.

After a few misunderstandings at the airport, Peter is added to the “no fly” list. Now, without a wallet and a way home, Peter reluctantly agrees to ride with Ethan (and his dog, Sonny), both soon to be unwanted travel companions. Following a lengthy series of outrageous misfortunes all caused by his new buddy, Ethan, Peter is at his wits end. Although Ethan is continually prolonging their cross-country road trip, Peter gets out of line…more than a few times. Let’s just say Peter is an ideal candidate for anger management. As the film progresses, however, Peter discovers there is more to Ethan than he originally thought…and a friendship begins to bloom.

Director of the all-time best selling DVD, “The Hangover,” Todd Phillips is at it again with “Due Date,” although this time, he doesn’t come close to his first smash hit. In fact, “Due Date” pales in comparison to “The Hangover.” This flick is simultaneously humorous and uncomfortable. I felt Downey Jr. (“Iron Man 2” 2010) and Galifianakis (“Dinner for Schmucks” 2010) were mismatched as co-stars, but perhaps Phillips’ intention was polar opposites. I noticed the laughs decreased toward the second half of the film as it almost transformed into a dark comedy. Maybe the writers were getting desperate, as it was obvious that laughable moments turned into crude moments.

The film lacks character development, and the endless extreme situations begin to be a bit tiresome. We want the long road to end more than the tortured characters themselves. If you haven’t caught on yet, the storyline is eerily familiar to the 1987 hit, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”

The funnier moments of the film were almost all compliments of Galifianakis. For example, when on the airplane he refers to economy class as, “low class.” Another humorous moment, which you may have seen in the previews, is when Ethan, Peter and Sonny hit up Waffle House. As they are leaving, Ethan gets an uncomfortable look on his face and says, “We shouldn’t have come here. I’m allergic to waffles” (followed by several sneezes). Then, after spending over $200 on marijuana or, as Ethan says, his “glaucoma medicine,” he runs out of money, forcing them to visit the local Western Union so Peter’s wife can wire them money. Unfortunately, Ethan mistakenly gives the teller his “stage name” and the money does not successfully transfer. When Peter asked if he could try it again under Ethan’s real name the teller says, “I’m closing. I’ve got a reservation at Chili’s with my boys.” Peter is speechless at this point while Ethan agrees and says very matter of fact, “Oh, that’s a good idea; it does get busy on Wednesday nights.” Needless to say, the crowd enjoyed this scene quite a bit.

This film is rated “R” for excessive drug use, language and sexual content.

Bottom Line: You will definitely get your share of laughs but don’t expect, “Hangover” quality.

Jessica Aymond © November 10, 2010