Due Date: Planes, Trains and Automobiles minus the planes, trains and originality

By Al Williams

With a last name like Galifianakis, it’s easy to see why so many have been referring to him as “the guy from The Hangover” for far too long. But Zach Galifianakis’ rapid rise to the front of the comedy scene has made the name instantly recognizable and mispronunciations are quickly vanishing. He further adds to his growing resume with his latest ride in Todd Phillips’ Due Date.

Director Phillips will be celebrating the 10 year anniversary of his entry to the comedy scene with the release of Due Date, starring the aforementioned Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr. The director’s first two outings (Road Trip, Old School) showed Phillips had no difficulty getting his audience to chuckle, but he relied too heavily on this talent to drag them through weaker sections of plot. Last year he demonstrated his ability to pair these gasping-for-air moments with a much more entertaining storyline in The Hangover.

The announcement of the film generated excitement based largely on the revealing of its two male stars, who have both perfected their game in recent years.Unfortunately Due Date doesn’t capture the magic of The Hangover. Galifianakis plays a character similar to the one he crafted in The Hangover, and does a great job regularly getting laughs. Fellow lead Downey Jr. portrays a straight-cut, tech-savvy architect struggling to keep a lid on his anger. Both actors deliver top notch performances and it’s a shame that Phillips did not support them with a stronger script.

The movie is predictable and from the get-go it is easy to see how things will resolve. When Peter Highman (Downey Jr.) is forced to hitch a ride across the country with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis), we see the story is not an original concept — similarities to Planes Trains and Automobiles are obvious. The socially awkward Tremblay reveals early on in the journey that he is carrying the ashes of his recently deceased father and would ideally like to give him a memorable send off (queue the road blocks). Despite the trip going from bad to worse, Highman slowly warms up to his goofy but gentle companion. Tremblay unfolds as the more entertaining character of this dude date, winning the audience over with both his memorable gait and plumber crack.

Although it may feel like you’ve seen this film before, supporters of Phillips’ raunchy comedy style will have an easier time overlooking its failings — one rather disappointing appearance of a familiar face (Danny McBride) playing an Iraq war veteran comes to mind. The ride is at least amusing and will give many hungry fans enough to chew on until the release of The Hangover Part Two next year.