Jack Goes Confidential: Due Date, Bizarre Road Trip Hits Speed Bumps

Despite what you may have heard or suspected, DUE DATE is not the sequel to THE HANGOVER-–the most successful R-rated comedy to have ever come out of Hollywood’s film factories.
 
For HANGOVER 2 you’ll have to wait ’til Memorial Day Weekend 2011.
 
But DUE DATE is HANGOVER director Todd Phillip’s follow-up to his 2009 smash-comedy  in which he reunites with uncouth, un-everything Zach Galifianakis.
 
Question is: How to define this un-buddy, odd couple-like movie?
…

Guess you could call it a sentimental roadtrip with speed bumps.
 
In DUE DATE  Phillips teams wannabe, clueless actor Galifianakis with architect Robert Downey, Jr. who’s on a tight schedule in Atlanta. He has to be back in L.A. by Friday for the birth of his first child. And Downey’s airport limo and Galifianakis’ car collide at Atlanta’s airport.

As it turns out they’re both on the same Los Angeles bound flight where their frustrations with each other continue.
The bottom line they’re both removed from the aircraft by an air marshal and put on the no-fly list.
 
Oh and Downey loses his wallet containing ID’s, credit cards and cash in the process.
 
An unlikely pair at the wrong time at the wrong place. And it’s all uphill from there.
 
So now what?
 
With Downey now at the mercy of Galifianakis he reluctantly accepts his offer to share the cross country car trip which plays a lot like PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES—just with a whole lot more in your face type scene stealers.
 
Try this one on for size!
 
While overnighting in the car, Galifianakis feels the urge to masturbate or as he puts it, it makes him sleep like a baby. OK? But when his dog begins to stroke his own bone, you know darn well why this picture is rated R.
 
And what a roadtrip!

Some of it is almost reminiscent of Cheech & Chong’s old misadventures.

Translation: heavy on drug humor, like the pair’s unplanned detour to the Mexican border. In their daze they confused MEXICO with TEXACO.
 
Along the way some familar faces pop in and out of the proceedings, including Danny McBride, Juliette Lewis, Jamie Foxx, Jon Cryer-–even Charlie Sheen.
 
But in all fairness it’s important to note that the film has an ongoing emotional—sometimes even uncomfortable undercurrent sandwiched in-between those balls to the wall scenes. It’s the coffee can Galifianakis carries with him containing the ashes of his father who had just died.
 
So what do we really have here?
 
A nightmare roadtrip with second chances. A comedy from OLD SCHOOL, STARSKY & HUTCH and HANGOVER director Todd Phillips with some emotional depth.
 
DUE DATE also features Michelle Monaghan, RZA and Matt Walsh.

Think of it as HANGOVER-LITE.
I’m raising 3-1/2 out of 5 hapless fingers.
Jack Poessiger
 
JACK GOES TO THE MOVIES in the Media; On Radio Friday mornings: KMBZ / KUDL / and KXTR.
And anytime on Time-Warner Cable’s K.C. ON DEMAND, Channel 113.