Sunday, April 3, 2011

Due Date

Right off the bat I think it should be said that this movie is a direct ripoff of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and I don't think it could have been anymore similar. It stars Robert Downey Jr. as an architect making his way back to L.A. for the birth of his son. On the plane he has a scuffle with a wannabe actor (Zach Galifianakis), is thrown off the plane, placed on the No Fly List and forced to make his way by car with the slob who got him booted off the plane. This results in a disastrous road trip in which the two will ultimately bond. From Todd Phillips, the director of other successful comedies, crafts a funny film for the first half before resorting to gross out childlike antics that aren't funny. Robert Downey Jr. does his usual schtick which works and Galifianakis is pretty uproarious, growing on me again. Due Date is unoriginal fare with some good laughs that could have been better if the filmmakers kept the bar raised.