And now, My First Review

Let’s rewind to summer 2009. The weather outside was warm, people were going to the beach, and the most talked about movie at time was, of course, "The Hangover". Everyone who had seen it spent the summer talking about the blockbuster comedy, quoting the most memorable lines, and yearning to go to Vegas.

Now, fast forward to November 2010. "The Hangover’s" celebrated director Todd Phillips returned with another big comedy. Bringing along his previous film’s comic powerhouse Zack Galifianakis as well as the great Robert Downey Jr., Philips hoped to present the world with another entertaining masterpiece. Unfortunately, the result was the complete opposite as I say with a heavy heart:

"Due Date" is an Appointment that Isn’t Worth Your Money

The premise of the film is quite simple: a hot-headed anticipated father named Peter Highman, played by Downey Jr., has no choice but to tag along with an aspiring actor named Ethan, portrayed by Galifianakis, across the country as quickly as possible to witness the birth of his first child. It should be mentioned that Peter originally intended to travel by plane; but after a series of events triggered by Ethan, the father-to-be has no choice but to travel with the aggravating moron. What follows is a string of unfortunate events that prolong the incompatible duo from reaching the hospital in which Peter’s wife Sarah, played by Michelle Monaghan, will give birth. These proceedings include stopping in Alabama so Ethan can buy marijuana, Peter getting beaten-up by a veteran in a wheelchair as well as hitching a ride with and briefly spending some time with Peter’s friend Darryl, played by Jamie Foxx. The last of which results in a tasteless joke involving a coffee machine and a coffee can belonging to Ethan. I won’t spoil it for you but the “punch line” will leave a bad taste in your mouth. These scenes do not come off as funny at all. They instead appear to be cheap and draining attempts to get you to laugh.

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This brings me to the main point of the review. When I saw "The Hangover" last year, I was laughing out of honesty. The actors’ comedic performances, especially Galifianakis, were delivered so naturally, that you couldn’t stop laughing. Every scene was genuinely executed and each line was spoken with such impeccable comedic timing. In addition, each scene’s punch line flowed into the next scene so easily that you couldn’t help yourself but to keep laughing. And that makes "The Hangover" a comedy worth watching, talking about, and owning.

Now, let us look at "Due Date". First, the entire film was clearly rushed. The Hangover came out June 2009 and this film came out just a little over a year later. Because the movie was so quickly made, the two main actors were poorly developed. And all the “humor” being supplied just came off as either bad dialogue or acts of violence designed for a cheap laugh. Robert Downey Jr’s Peter comes off as extremely obnoxious as he is habitually paranoid or short-tempered state of mind. The abuse he takes throughout the film on the way to his child’s birth would probably have gotten our sympathy; but it is hard for us to have any compassion for him as he often exhibits irrational behavior towards Galifianakis’s Ethan and other characters. And, I guess we are meant to think that his behavior is worthy of our laughter and our respect.

And Zach Galifianakis, who served as the Hangover’s secret weapon, is the primary source of the film’s obligatory humor. Channeling his performance in last year’s comic blockbuster, he shoots off forgettable exclamations and puts Downey Jr.’s Peter Highman through tremendous turmoil on their route to the hospital. And, unlike in "The Hangover", Galifianakis seems to be phoning in every comedic performance in the film as each scene progresses into the next. In fact, he seems to be playing an unlikable version of the character he played in "The Hangover". And, with "The Hangover Part II" scheduled to hit theaters Memorial Day Weekend, we can definitely expect another similar performance. If he keeps playing this type of role, we are going to get tired of his antics in no time.



Image taken from http://media4.comcast.net/thumbnails/m_Warner/453/527/duedatehero_806x453.jpg

To his credit, however, I do believe that Zach Galifianakis is capable of serious acting. There is a scene in the movie that required an emotional performance and he pulled it off quite well. The scene however is unfortunately followed a few minutes later with more strained attempts at hilarity. But for a brief moment, you can see what the comedian-turned-actor is capable of. Also, if you happen to see the independently-released "It’s Kind of a Funny Story", you can see that he is capable of turning in a remarkable performance as an institutionalized divorced father who befriends and enlightens a troubled teenaged boy. If Zach Galifianakis can pick more mature roles like this, he could attract a wider audience. Otherwise, he’s going to be stuck playing roles similar to those he played in "Due Date" and "The Hangover" and he will face overexposure in no time.

Looking back on my review, I have made the following decision: while "Due Date" is not worthy of your $12, it is worth checking out at least once on television; especially if you are a diehard fan of Zach Galifianakis' performance in "The Hangover". However, if you do watch it, prepare to be disappointed as it is nowhere as humorous or monumental as the former.

E-mail me at thatsnatertainment@gmx.com