This trailer was taken from: “Due Date” – Official Trailer 2 HD (Video). September 20, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QrUzXj1k_Y
Due Date
Directed By: Todd Phillips
Written By: Todd Phillips, Alan Freedland, Alan R. Cohen and Adam Sztykiel
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis and Jamie Foxx
If you have seen Planes, Trains and Automobiles and The Hangover, then you have seen Due Date. Starring Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) Due Date tells the story of two very different people, forced to take a road trip together with “hilarious” consequences.
Due Date is passably entertaining while its on but there is no way that this will be a comedy remembered for years to come and that is still funny on repeat viewings. Ultimately what makes Due Date such a mediocre film is its blazing unoriginality. The plot set up is a straight copy-paste from Plane, Trains and Automobiles while the films structure and climax as well as many of its shocks are shockingly similar to The Hangover. The film is very predictable and clichéd and is never as emotional as it wants to be in some moments.
The central duo at the center of Due Date put in good performances, however like Russell Brand and Jonah Hill in Get Him To The Greek they are both underused in films that don’t make the most of the comic talent at its disposal. Robert Downey Jr. plays the mean “normal” one while Zach plays the crazy one. One major problem with the film, is that post Hangover it is now considered that everything Zach G now says is immediately laugh out loud funny. He plays the exact same character as he does in The Hangover but is nowhere near as funny, partly down to the material given to him but also partly down to the fact that, that character worked so well in The Hangover because it was new, fresh, funny and we had never really seen him before in a mainstream comedy film. However, within 30 minutes of this film that character has grown stale, familiar and has lost all its originality and humour. If Zach G is going to play every comedic role he gets like this, then he will have a very short and frustrating career. The main worry is by the time The Hangover 2 rolls around, the original films secret weapon (Zach G) could turn into its most irritating aspect.
Due Date is a very unrealistic and over the top film, while it may sound silly to criticize a comedy on those grounds it is worthy of complaint as the moments of sheer ridiculousness are not funny in the slightest. Not for one moment is any of this remotely believable and I am sure there are numerous plot holes. Due Date also seems to in moments turn into a Fast and Furious movie with car crash after car crash which after a while ceases to be funny. The amount of car crashes and stunts become rather numbing after a while. There is nothing particularly smart, hilarious or original in this film.
Its not all bad however, Robert Downey Jr. is perfectly fine in his role and although I was fed up with Zach G playing the same character he does do it rather well and shows here that he is actually good with the emotional material. Ultimately Due Date has a good cast, some decent jokes but ultimately never reaches the heights it should due to it mainly being not original or as funny as you would expect.
One Sentence Summary: Due Date is unoriginal and nowhere near as funny as it should be, however Downey Jr and Zach G just about make it passably entertaining even if certain elements of their performances have grown stale.
Rating: 5/10
Due Date is passably entertaining while its on but there is no way that this will be a comedy remembered for years to come and that is still funny on repeat viewings. Ultimately what makes Due Date such a mediocre film is its blazing unoriginality. The plot set up is a straight copy-paste from Plane, Trains and Automobiles while the films structure and climax as well as many of its shocks are shockingly similar to The Hangover. The film is very predictable and clichéd and is never as emotional as it wants to be in some moments.
The central duo at the center of Due Date put in good performances, however like Russell Brand and Jonah Hill in Get Him To The Greek they are both underused in films that don’t make the most of the comic talent at its disposal. Robert Downey Jr. plays the mean “normal” one while Zach plays the crazy one. One major problem with the film, is that post Hangover it is now considered that everything Zach G now says is immediately laugh out loud funny. He plays the exact same character as he does in The Hangover but is nowhere near as funny, partly down to the material given to him but also partly down to the fact that, that character worked so well in The Hangover because it was new, fresh, funny and we had never really seen him before in a mainstream comedy film. However, within 30 minutes of this film that character has grown stale, familiar and has lost all its originality and humour. If Zach G is going to play every comedic role he gets like this, then he will have a very short and frustrating career. The main worry is by the time The Hangover 2 rolls around, the original films secret weapon (Zach G) could turn into its most irritating aspect.
Due Date is a very unrealistic and over the top film, while it may sound silly to criticize a comedy on those grounds it is worthy of complaint as the moments of sheer ridiculousness are not funny in the slightest. Not for one moment is any of this remotely believable and I am sure there are numerous plot holes. Due Date also seems to in moments turn into a Fast and Furious movie with car crash after car crash which after a while ceases to be funny. The amount of car crashes and stunts become rather numbing after a while. There is nothing particularly smart, hilarious or original in this film.
Its not all bad however, Robert Downey Jr. is perfectly fine in his role and although I was fed up with Zach G playing the same character he does do it rather well and shows here that he is actually good with the emotional material. Ultimately Due Date has a good cast, some decent jokes but ultimately never reaches the heights it should due to it mainly being not original or as funny as you would expect.
One Sentence Summary: Due Date is unoriginal and nowhere near as funny as it should be, however Downey Jr and Zach G just about make it passably entertaining even if certain elements of their performances have grown stale.
Rating: 5/10
