Late For My Due Date

saw the trailer of this movie, I really wanted to see “Due Date”, it hinted a bit of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” and that is by far my favourite John Candy movie. So naturally I had some interest in this movie, let alone the fact that Robert Downey Jr. was in this movie. Also, I do have a slight man crush on that Downey Jr. but never mind that fact. Though I was rather scared to see this movie in threatres seeing all the mixed reviews, I am a cheap man so I rather not risk in wasting $10 on this movie, so I waited ‘till this movie came on Blu-Ray and rented it. After the jump I say if I like this movie or it is an utter disappointment.

The story is quite simple; Peter (Downey) needs to get from Atlanta to L.A to be part of his child’s birth. But after some unforeseen events with Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), they are both on the no-fly list. Peter, who has lost his luggage, wallet and patience, desperately needs to get across country. This is where Ethan offers him a ride to L.A and hilarity ensues. The adventure that both Peter and Ethan go through is both enjoyable to watch and out of the ordinary. But in all reality the story really doesn’t matter more than they both are in the same car needing to get from one point to the other. Which is fine by me, I don’t really mind when comedies don’t focus a whole lot on the story.

Peter and Ethan having some waffles. Oh BTW Ethan is allergic to waffles.

But what I do mind in comedies are the characters. And I was not disappointed; the characters were exactly what I expected. Peter is the ill-tempered, impatient man who is straight to the point. Whereas Ethan is an inspiring actor who calls himself a people person with a grand personality, but what I call him an ignorant buffoon that just causes the worst of luck to Peter (Kind of like Alan in The Hangover). And just like in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, the two characters seem to work with each other just fine. I loved the combination of the two. Only problem I had was that I am scared that Zach will turn into those actors that will only play the one role, and I’m not sure I will like that in his other movies, but we will see.

I don’t think I had a favourite part of the movie, the whole movie seem to be one big long homogeneous joke. Though I really liked the part when they brew coffee from what is later know as Ethan’s father’s ashes in a coffee can. As they start to freak out that they were drinking his dad, the facial reactions were just priceless. And as Ethan tries to clear this throat from choking on his dad’s ashes, he clears it with the nearest liquid which again is the coffee. He realises what he did a few seconds after, just priceless. I laughed a bit more than I should have at that, being an immature and senseless joke but funny none the less.

To cut to the chase, this movie is funny, but not witty. It is simple minded and enjoyable. But I warn you, this is not a family movie; they drop a lot of ‘f’ bombs and other obscenities. This movie wasn’t great, but not bad. Just an average comedy to be enjoyed by a group of friends, and I suggest most people should just rent the movie and accept it for it is. It is not as good as “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”, but it has its moments and worth the 100minutes I spent on it.

Fun fact: Peter's wife is played by Michelle Monaghan, who plays Downey Jr's crush in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.