DUE DATE: Cinematic hair of the dog!

DUE DATE
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan
Directed by Todd Phillips
Warner Bros. Pictures
Review by Louis Fowler

Having spent the past few weeks reading consistently middling reviews of Todd Phillips' latest bro-com DUE DATE, I went into it with pretty low expectations, thinking I was going to get a few laughs here and there, all the while testing my newly-imagined tolerance for a reaching-Jack-Black-over-saturation Zach Galifianakis. The critics, whom all seem to believe that THE HANGOVER was a second coming of comedy for the most part, have been thoroughly disappointed by DUE DATE, giving solid C+'s all around, with the phrases “forced”, “maudlin” and “tedious” being thrown around a bit.

Were we watching the same movie, guys?

Here's a news flash: THE HANGOVER? That huge comedy hit from a year or so ago? Eh, well, it's not really holding up so well. It really shows it's cracks upon each successive viewing and, while it definitely has some high-points, it's still basically a remake of Phillip's earlier road trip movie ROAD TRIP, but with overgrown frat-boys instead of college kids and, of course, Galifianakis instead of Tom Green. Phillips has a formula and, for each place and time in our history, he updates it and it works, but it doesn't age the way you'd like a comedy to. In retrospect, THE HANGOVER isn't really a “funny”movie as much as it is a “fun” movie, but the wires get crossed and we just don't know any better.

I feel like DUE DATE changes that because, while he's still keeping the same damned ROAD TRIP formula, he's finally allowing for some better fleshed out characters to move the jokes along, casting naturally funny adult actors instead of cool young dudes. Think of when John Hughes ditched the proto-emo teen-angst BS and hit two out of the park with SHE'S HAVING A BABY and PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES—both of which, here, Phillips nobly and maturely injects into the proceedings.

The plot is as basic as it gets: a straight-laced architect, a no-censor-button buffoon and a masturbating dog have to road trip across country to make it in time for the birth of the architect’s baby. You've seen it a million times. Probably this year alone. And all directed by Todd Phillips.

Why DUE DATE works is all because of the aforementioned casting: Bradley Cooper might be the good-looking GQ flavor of the month, but he in no way has the gravitas of Robert Downey Jr., who, even at his most dickish, is still a guy you want to root for. You just plain like Downey and, you can relate to him and his everyman character's idiosyncrasies and foibles. You could give a fuck as to whether Bradley succeeds or not—that guy's gonna get laid whether he makes it or not. And, really, how is that funny unless you're Bradley Cooper?

And, you know, the more I think about it, I'm not tired of Galifianakis. Not at all. Why did I start to feel like I was? With the exception of a scene-stealing Danny McBride cameo that had me coughing blood, Galifianakis earns every single laugh in every single scene for a constant self-humiliating fearlessness that is completely uncontrived. He's so unnaturally natural in his character—which is obviously not too far at all from his one in THE HANGOVER, let's be honest—that it never gets old or feels like he's putting on a show. Ahem, Tom Green.

(Speaking of the actors, however, I am getting sick and tired of Hollywood's insistence on pushing the brutally shrill (and probably hungry) Michelle Monaghan on us at every possible turn. Enough, I say! America has spoken loudly and they reject her as an actress. Can't we just move on to the next doe-eyed waif on the list already?)

DUE DATE is a hilarious autumnal programmer that will more than likely have a healthier life on DVD where, knowing me, I'll probably start finding things wrong with it and complaining about that too the next time I review another Todd Phillips flick. This is probably why I can't ever have nice things. Sigh.