Review: Robert Downey Jr makes 'Due Date' work to a large extent

Film: Due Date (A)
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating:***

Peter Highman (Downey Jr), a prissy architect with a bit of a mean streak, finds himself, through unforeseen circumstances, travelling across America with the stoner man-child Ethan Trembley (Galifianakis).

Highman is on a quest to reach his expecting wife Sarah (Monaghan) while the bear-like Trembley, who comes along with a pet bulldog and a can of his father’s ashes, has his hopes set on making it big in Hollywood.

As with every other odd-couple-on-a-road-trip film, the point isn’t exactly about the destination itself but the situations that crop up along the way and help the characters to understand themselves, and indeed each other, a whole lot better.

Due Date is all this plus child abuse, irreverence towards the handicapped, the said dog engaging in masturbation, and a number of outlandish situations besides.

The film abides by the tried and tested conventions of the genre, but Downey and Galifianakis’s presence make Due Date a tad better than a list of road movies that any casual moviegoer can rattle off from memory.

As the wannabe thespian Trembley, Galifianakis almost resurrects Alan from The Hangover.  With endless acts of self-deprecation, his part-nincompoop-part-noble-savage antics work mostly because of Downey who proves to be an exceptional foil to Trembley, who unfailingly ups the ante with his typical breed of idiocy.

Being a Todd Phillips product, the film is replete with grossed out humour, swearing,  slapstick-based gags… Worse yet, to your own dismay, you might catch yourself laughing out loud a few times, thanks to Downey, who tends to make some of the twisted humour disturbingly palatable.

Visually, the film doesn’t disappoint with some great shots of the American landscape along the journey. Classic rock songs like Cream's 'White Room' and Pink Floyd's 'Hey You' feature prominently in the film's soundtrack, particularly when Trembley lights up.

Though an air of predictability hangs over the plot in general and there are a couple of far-fetched situations, Due Date holds some amusement. At 95 minutes, the film doesn’t lag much, and neither is it preachy.  A side story involving Highman’s friend Darryl (Jamie Foxx), who has a unique connection with Sarah, could have been better evolved.  But that would probably have needlessly convoluted everything.

This film definitely isn’t Kiss Kiss Bang Bang if that’s what you are looking for, and chances are if you loved The Hangover, you will like this.  Then again, if you liked The Hangover, what wouldn’t you like?