1/2 a star: This is a date you will want to miss

Comedies these days  are more common than a two-legged dog. Every year, every month,  every day a new comedy releases in theaters  some are funny some are less than funny  and then there are those rare comedies that are so god-awful, so nasty, so cruel so shamelessly unfunny that after seeing it you  absolutely cringe at the slightest mention of the name of the film. Todd Philips' "Due Date" is such a comedy, a comedy that takes no shame in ripping off one of the best comedies of the last 20 years   "Planes, trains and Automobiles" starring Steve Martin and the late John Candy. This is comedy of the lowest level; an unbearable and undignified piece of comedy that tries its hardest to mask itself as comedy of the highest level but only comes out as nothing more than what it appears on the surface. "Due Date" is what I hate about comedy the most of how they can take a great premise, a fine talented comedic director and two of the best stars around and put them in one of the most disgusting and grudging comedies I have seen in years a comedy so lowbrow so disjointed you'll want to shoot yourself before it is over.



After the huge critical and commercial success of Todd Phillips'(Director of "Old School", “Starsky and Hutch" and "School for Scoundrels") "The Hangover"(which already has a sequel in the works and will be released this year) Phillips' became a worldwide sensation. He took the box-office by storm with his widely inventive- If not at some points- lowbrow instant stonier comedy classic "The Hangover" literally redefining the meaning of the hangover. With his newest comedy, Phillips has devised an extraordinarily lowbrow update of the classic Candy-Martin classic "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.” The only difference between these two films is that "Planes, trains and automobiles" is considered near and far as a classic and “Due Date"...  well let's just say classic is not the word I would use kindly to describe this travesty of a comedy. This film lacks any dignity  at all  it has no shame in  what it does or who it is doing it to,  it lacks any  shred of  emotional  connection  between these  gloriously  mismatched stars  in Robert Downey , Jr. and the bushy bearded funny man  Zach Galifianakis. Who in a more respectable and laughter inducing film   they would have been an amazing team instead of a groan inducing, cringe worthy one. "Due Date” should work it should be funny sadly, it is not. “Due Date" tries to be a kind of bicker until they become friend’s kind of comedy but here is the sad part that premise ran itself into the ground about 35 years ago. The last great comedy to attempt to use that formula and succeed was the great "Planes, Trains and Automobiles” and after that film almost all comedies tried to recreate the formula that made that comedy a classic; they tried to no avail I must say. Now I  won't lie to you this film  had it's moments  there were a few scenes in the beginning that made me laugh  but sadly  those  scenes  in the beginning that worked  however,  as soon as Peter(Robert Downey, Jr.) met  Ethan( Zach Galifianakis) the whole film took the "Twilight" approach when Bella met Edward and went downhill from there. Now this very well made good-looking film that has the talent and the attitude to be a great buddy comedy. However, the overall Ricky Gervais-Golden Globes- feel atmosphere that the script from the script by Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykie, and Todd Phillips wrote never seems to give its characters or the audience much reason to care. You feel disjointed and almost utter disgust as you watch the despicable Peter and the insufferable Ethan go on a nausea inducing road trip. So Peter can go get home to his young pregnant wife (played by Michelle Monaghan) who is going to give birth in a few days so he can be there to welcome his child into this world. Personally after seeing Peter's treatment of other people's children I think that child would be better off being given up for adoption  to a mother and especially a father who would not sock him straight in the  stomach if he/she got annoying. "Due Date" is what comedy in this day and age has come to annoying, soulless characters who are bickering more than they should and falling into  A-typical comedic pratfalls and fights that are some of the most disgruntled I have ever seen put to film to date.

There is a scene in "Due Date" so deplorable,  so low down, so  laugh free that you almost  want to slap yourself. Peter is with Ethan at his drug dealer's(played by Juliette Lewis) house to obtain marijuana Peter  is left  with  here two kids a girl and  her extremely annoying  brother who  keeps pestering Peter. In a complete lack of morals, Peter sucker punches the young boy right in the stomach then proceeds to place him on the couch. That concisely explains the whole mood of the film where every pratfall every slapstick, overly mundane piece of shtick that comes flowing from this film is laden with malice and hatred. How anyone especially Todd Phillips could think that punching children and a constant air of hatred could actually induce laughter is beyond me this film obviously thinks that this is funny so, why not? I'll tell you why not  because in comedy you are not suppose to hate the characters on the screen you are suppose to be at least have some kind of feelings towards these characters and there plight. With this film, all you feel is nothing but disgust and hatred towards these not so likable fellows. "Due Date" has all the ingredients for a perfect road-trip comedy but what it is missing is the secret ingredient... a sense of joy. This film nor its characters takes any joy in what they are doing they just look like they are going through the motions without a care not even stopping for a moment to consider the irrevocable harm they are doing to both there film and the audience. "Due Date" has the right stuff if only it had taken the time to use that to its advantage instead of making it advantages its disadvantages.





I have been a huge fan of Robert Downey, Jr. for some years now in my opinion he is one of the best actors working in films to date. However, even great actors like RDJ have there off days as well Todd Phillips'   "Due Date" is one of those days. In  "Due Date" RDJ  plays such a deplorable, nasty, mean spirited, self-centered like cuss that from the very first moment  that you meet him you want to knock him  up side the head. RDJ plays Peter like a guy who doesn't care about anything but himself and if you see this film (which I hope you don’t). You will get that feeling as well Peter is so self-absorbed and so vile   that you hate him the very first moment he speaks  the rest of the film only  serves to deepen your hatred for this despicable character. Peter has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, I am sorry to say this but neither does RDJ’s performance. I don't really like Zach Galifianakis  I think to me he is a Robin Williams meets John Candy  knockoff, now  don't misjudge me  Galifianakis has shown to be a  talented actor  in such films as  "The Hangover" and  "It's Kind of a Funny Story" but in  "Due Date" he is singing  the song on all the wrong keys. Galifianakis'  performance as the overly obnoxious and quite frankly  irritatingly stupid Ethan Tremblay  is quite possibly one of the most  grating  "comedic" performances I have had the displeasure of  sitting through in a long time. Galifianakis lacks all senses of his surroundings   his dimwitted character just seems to plow through one contrivance after another after another after another without even stopping for a second to  use his brain to try and find out a logical solution to Peter and his situation. Sadly, Galifianakis just goes through the motions of the lowbrow script and derivative plot affords him, he never seems to get the chance to really make an impression or at least create an interesting character you can care for. Galifianakis has talent and definitely has a chance to make it big in Hollywood but if he keeps making low rent comedies like this  he will end up having a career mimicking that of Nicolas Cage, I know that is wrong to say but hey its the truth and the truth sometimes can hurt. The rest of the cast including Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis, Danny McBride, RZA, and Michelle Monaghan give some adequate performances in this grossly overblown comedic failure.




"Due Date" is a film with so much potential   that   it is almost a shame that it is wasted on such an idiotic script and such mean spirited atmosphere that you almost feel sad for the actors and creators. You feel sad that they have created such an interesting idea and roped in such talented actors and in the end; they give them nothing really to work with beyond the dull execution of this derivative tale of opposites attracting. Sadly, they only repel each other   "Due Date"  is one of the most misguided  nasty films to come out  in 2010  it has no redeeming qualities  and it revels in  its own mean spirited nature almost daring the audience  to love it or hate it. The outcome in the end is much clearer then you think.