Due Date hits DVD and Blu-ray next Monday, 28th February and I got sent an early copy of the movie to check out. I hadn’t seen it at the cinema and was looking forward to what it had in store. I’d heard a mixed bag of reviews after it’s theatrical release but knowing it was directed by Todd Phillips who brought us The Hangover had me interested from the get-go. The movie stars Zack Galifanakis, who also appeared in The Hangover alongside Robert Downey Jr.
Downey Jr. plays the lead, Peter Highman who, through various absurd but humorous circumstances involving Galifanakis’ character Ethan Tremblay, is forced off the plane he was scheduled to take back home to his wife (Michelle Monaghan) and for the birth of his first child. After losing his wallet and with little options, he’s f0rced to hitch a ride with Tremblay 2000 miles across the United States. It’s pretty obvious from the outset that Tremblay is one of the most annoying people on planet Earth and much of the comedy in the movie comes from the crazy things he gets up to, much to the annoyance of Highman!
It’s very difficult to watch Due Date and not compare it to Planes, Trains and Automobiles. So much for the storyline pays nods to the classic John Candy / Steve Martin whether intentionally or not.This version however is rather more crude than the 1987 movie with Due Date featuring a masturbating dog named Sonny (no, I’m not joking, he really is called Sonny :)!). Everything that you see in Due Date however has been carefully crafted into making you laugh, even down to the Todd Phillips cameo alongside Juliette Lewis who are high throughout the entire scene! Jamie Foxx appears although somewhat briefly but even his performance is great and his charter, Darryl actually features quiet prominently in the storyline. Danny McBride also appears in one of the funniest scenes of the movie and again, it’s only a small role but brilliant cast.
The look of the movie is rather different though using natural landmarks like the grand canyon to make the movie look spectacular in the latter stages and although this isnt a movie you’d need to see in high definition to enjoy, watching it on Blu-ray was rather nice!
Due Date as a movie is well cast, well shot and fulfils it’s comedy genre. It’s not hilarious throughout but it’s the sort of movie you can put on during an evening or weekend and just enjoy without having to pay too much attention. As I said above, Galifanakis plays pretty much the same character that he did in The Hangover so if you enjoyed him in that role, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this too.
Due Date is released in the UK 28th February.
[Rating:3.5/5]
Due Date iPad Competition QUESTION 3:
Complete the following movie tagline:
‘2001: A Space Odyssey – The Ultimate ____’
Now that you have each of the three answers click here to return to the competition.
To find out more about the HeyUGuys iPad Due Date competition click here.
