Due Date - (November 5th, 2010): R
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #2 with $32,689,406
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $72,431,594
Gross Revenue: $134,631,594
Budget: $65 million
Director: Todd Phillips
Towards the end of the summer I had commented on how reliable heist films are to satisfy audiences looking for action or suspense; to draw a similar comparison, history has increasingly shown that road films are a sure-fire way to deliver a successful comedy. Classics like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Tommy Boy, and Road Trip show that there is something inherently funny about conflicting personalities traveling together, and early marketing efforts made it clear that Due Date sought to repeat this formula. In fact, the marketing campaign for Due Date was remarkably simple; as a member of the road film genre, Due Date’s plot was not intended to be shockingly original or surprisingly…the chief appeal of this film was positioned to be the interactions of the two actors that would be traveling together. One of the more well-known trailers used a clever method to highlight the mismatch by playing-off the success of The Social Network and showing an over-eager Galifianakis trying to persuade a hesitant Downey to join him on the trip by claiming how many friends he had on Facebook. Whether he’s playing a superhero or detective, Robert Downey Jr. possesses a dry sarcasm and narcissism that paves the way for considerable humor, while Galifianakis has charmed audiences as a child-like doofus since he came to mainstream attention in 2009’s The Hangover; putting these two conflicting personalities in a car and sending them across the country together was sure to produce comedic gold.
Due Date starts by introducing audiences to the cynical Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.), who is just finishing a business trip in Atlanta and ready to return to Los Angeles to be present for the birth of his first child. While at the airport, Peter meets aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), who happens to be heading to Hollywood, and through a series of misunderstandings, both are placed on the No Fly List. Ethan rents a car, and Peter (who discovers that he has lost his wallet), begrudgingly accepts the offer to join Ethan on a cross-country road trip. It quickly becomes apparent that the two men are polar opposites, and the on-edge Peter must contend with the outlandish Ethan, who engages in increasingly odd behavior, such as transporting his recently-deceased father’s ashes in a coffee can, continually falling asleep behind the wheel, or accidently driving across the border because he believed that the border station read “Texaco.” As the trip spirals more and more out of control, the audience is treated to some big laughs as they question whether these two men will even be able to survive the trip.
As far as comedies go, Due Date is absolutely hysterical, presenting one outrageous situation after another complemented by clever dialogue; I was tempted to go and see the movie again just so I could remember more of the quotes. Robert Downey Jr. more than proves his comedic talent; anytime he loses his temper, the audience knows that they can expect a big laugh. Galifianakis also steals the show as a well-meaning but wholly-destructive buffoon, often optimistically making an observation or suggestion that is so idiotic that the audience can only laugh in disbelief. Based solely on the interactions between these two fan-favorite actors, I can confidently say that Due Date is sure to become a comedy classic.
Despite the big laughs present, Due Date still has some weak points, the most apparent being that Zach Galifianakis plays almost the exact same character that he did in The Hangover, and if you found that character the least bit irritating, you are going to get tired of Due Date very, very fast. I also have to agree when critics say that the story itself is pretty unoriginal…it follows the formula of a road film so closely that if audiences weren’t fans of the actors, then Due Date would have absolutely nothing new or interesting to add. There are also a few unnecessary plot elements that slow the flow of the film, such as whenever Peter and Ethan try to have a genuine heartfelt conversation…with jokes flying off the screen, it just felt awkward that the narrative would try to interrupt the levity with brief moments of seriousness. I was also slightly disappointed in Jamie Foxx’s role in the film, as his presence as Peter’s best friend is so quick and out-of-place that Foxx’s talent as an actor feels under-used. In the end, despite these criticisms, I feel like audiences will appreciate the humor enough to forgive any shortcomings.
From a box-office perspective, Due Date has been performing very well, taking the number two spot its opening weekend behind Megamind with just under $33 million. When you consider that Due Date is an R-rated comedy that opened up against an animated family film, such a high opening weekend is incredibly impressive. Despite critics complaining about the unoriginal nature of the film, positive word-of-mouth has helped generate a strong audience. When you combine domestic and international box-office receipts, Due Date has already more than doubled its production budget, so Warner Bros. has set the bar very high for holiday comedies. At the very least, though the film isn’t perfect, Due Date is still a strong comedy that audiences shouldn’t miss.
Overall Recommendation: High
