subversive_element

23 May 2012

The allure of Zack Galifianakis is fading fast...

I'll sum this up in as few words as possible, first off, the moviesucks. One of those movies that you see in the theater and after watching youfeel like you had just witnessed a car accident. You just leave thetheater with your head down and try to forget everything that justhappened...Zack Galifianakis is fast becoming the next Seth Rogen, Micheal Sera,Jonah Hill, etc. His appeal is fading pretty quick as he is beingtype-cast in the same role, playing the same goofy, lovable, neuroticoverweight guy. Hopefully by next year we will all be saying "do youremember that guy..?"Basically the movie is a clash of the opposites/buddy road trip/feelgood stereotype that has been done better by classics such as Planes,Trains, and Automobiles. The characters are not lovable at all, do notgenerate sympathy, and actually work to create animosity towards them.All the unbelievable situations they find themselves involved in arecompletely ridiculous and have you rolling your eyes and looking atyour watch all at the same time.Go rent Planes, Trains, and Automobiles instead, You will get morelaughs. Hopefully the next time I see Zack Galifianakis will be on oneof those "where are they now" specials in about 15 years...

Brandon Blackwell

23 May 2012

Leave your comfort zone

High-strung father-to-be Peter Highman is forced to hitch a ride withaspiring actor Ethan Tremblay on a road trip in order to make it to hischild's birth on time.When I heard of the combination of Robert Downey Jr. and ZachGalifianakis, I had some high expectations. On top of that, we have thewonderful comedic director who brought us the Hangover and Old School.And then ON TOP OF THAT, we have the "road trip" genre which Todd didperfect with Road Trip. So with all these expectations and likes, Ithought I would have a good time. Unfortunately, after seeing the badreviews (from critics and walkabouts alike) I decided, unfortunately,to wait till the DVD release. I regret all of it... The movie has adifferent formula than Todd's previous, it is more engaging andintellectual. What I mean 'intellectual' is the subtle humor. This iswhere the comparisons with Hangover arise because with Hangover we havein your face humor, while in Due Date have more subtle comedic moments.I thought the mixture of Robert Downey (sarcastic) and ZachGalifianakis (just stupid) was perfect. And what I mean is that theyhave their differences and their reactions to each other (more so ofRobert to Zach) are hilarious. Funny thing is, we're going back intocomparisons with Hangover. Zach, in Hangover, was just plain stupid andwe really couldn't tell his acting ability. In Due Date, he has manyscenes where he can actually act. Surprisingly, I found this to begreat because his previous roles never brought out his true insidecharacter. We have many moments that'll have you laughing out loud,with them passing the Mexican border, with them just talking in thecar, or those moments where they get along and understand each other. Ilove the precise moments where they get high and they just talk andlaugh, simplistic and humorous. This all leads me to the question Iwanted to ask: why does this get such bad reviews? People say thismovie is a clone of "Planes, Trains, And Automobiles", while othersthink the humor was dry and plain. The Hangover gets fantastic reviewsbecause of it's clever premise? This all leads me to the one sentencepeople will most likely question: I enjoyed Due Date better than theHangover. The humor, acting, and premise was smart and witty. It didn'thave to be gross-out to gain it's audience, it provides much more thanexpected. Recommended. 9/10.

Yodarn

21 May 2012

OMG Horrible! NOT FUNNY!

The "Critics" gave it a C+ so I got fooled into going. What a disappointment. I only laughed out loud ONCE; during the whole movie. Yea, other parts were mildly amusing, but I got so bored I thought about getting up and walking out several times. But I couldn't really do that so I stuck it out. In the end, what a waste of time. I wish I had never gone. Robert Downey Jr. was OK, but what a waste of talent. I wonder how he got conned into doing this.

Todd McCarthy

21 May 2012

Todd Phillips' follow-up to the most successful R-rated comedy of all time serves up its share of laughs while not actually providing a terribly enjoyable time because of a queasy undercurrent that never goes away.

Dave White

18 May 2012

Having established that this movie has no good reason to exist beyond extending Zach Galifianaki's recent brand ascendancy, it's as good as you could want a useless entertainment exercise to be.

18 May 2012

Due Date

This review is from: Due Date (DVD) This can be considered a "Trains, Planes and Automobiles" of 2010. Good cast, everyone playing their part well enough that I still laugh or feel touched each time I watch it. Zach Galifianakis is funny in this, but he plays the same type of character he played in "Hangover" ~to be fair, thats the only other movie I've watched him in though. I like Robert Downey's acting in this better than many of his past roles. The dog does a good job, too ;)

collipal-1

18 May 2012

Entertaining and funny, but not very memorable

Planes, Trains and Automobiles is one of my favorite comedies, and eventhough Due Date is not an "official" remake of it, it definitely hasthe same premise of two completely different men trying to reach to thesame place by every possible mean, provoking laughs because of theircontrasting personalities and the adventures they suffer while they aremeeting to each other, until they start to appreciate with eachother.However, there is one big difference between both films, becausewhile Planes, Trains and Automobiles had an affable tone, Due Date isfrequently cruel, uncomfortable and even offensive...however, I do notmention those three things as something negative.Due Date is one of those comedies which are funnier because of theiractors than because of their screenplay.Robert Downey Jr. and ZachGalifianakis have a very good chemistry with each other, and they makethe evolution of the relationship between their characters totallycredible.And besides of that, they have a natural charisma which makestheir characters to be likable to the spectators.I will not deny thatthere are some scenes in which some spectators will feel in the limitsof tolerance during some of the many irreverent scenes from DueDate.But I suspect that those who laughed with Observe and Report, RoleModels or Pineapple Express will not have any problem with the rudehumor from Due Date.In the negative side, I have to say that that the supporting actors areabsolutely wasted, and I think it was a mistake to use famous people incharacters which could have been filled by extras without creatingunreal expectations.If I know that Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan andDanny McBride appear in a comedy, I expect them to have a substantialparticipation, or at least really funny scenes; but no...they aresimply there to inflate the profile from the movie.And I also have tosay that Due Date is a bit disappointing in the narrative aspect,because the screenplay feels too predictable, and it cannot transcendthe old formula of "odd couple", so we have various clichés we havealready seen too many times.In conclusion, I have to recommend Due Date, because I have to admitthat, despite all my complains, it made me laugh in various moments,and it kept me entertained.However, I did not find the movie to be verymemorable, and I did not find it nearly as funny as The Hangover, theprevious movie from director Todd Phillips.

James Verniere

17 May 2012

A cross between "The Hangover" and "Planes, Trains & Automobiles," "Due Date" is a refreshingly mean, mismatched-buddy comedy featuring Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis.

Boo

16 May 2012

Pure Garbage

I am surprised that Downey agree to do this atrocious piece of junk. His worst movie ever. Worst dialogue ever with a childish screenplay.Why does Hollywood keep shooting themselves in the groin.

Professor Klickberg

15 May 2012

The Hangover its not

I was pleasantly surprised when my roommate all but forced me intowatching The Hangover with him one Saturday afternoon. I don't rememberthe last time I laughed so hard during a film. What made the experienceso particularly great for me, though, was that The Hangover bringstogether not only fantastic, side-splitting comedy, but alsocraftsmanship on every level, be it a tight screenplay that constantlyworks and keeps you wanting more, pitch- perfect acting, and deftdirection and editing. Due Date... has basically none of these elements. Sure, there are a fewlaughs here or there-- and I disagree with those who would say thefunniest moments are in the trailer, as I didn't find the trailer veryfunny at all--but overall, this is what I would expect from a ToddPhillips film. The simple, basic, fratastic bilge that could only befunny to a bunch of thick-necked guys (or lanky Star Wars geeks wishingthey were the former) who are wasted on flat beer and soggy potatochips. Yawn.I don't know how he did it, but Phillips even got a bad performance outof Robert Downey Jr. There were whole sequences that didn't need to be in the film at all,and way too much that we've seen far too many times before, and notjust in Trains, Planes, and Automobiles (of course that comparison isgoing to be made; this is merely a raunchy, sloppy update of theformer). You know there's a problem when a scene in which Zach G.'s characterguest stars on an episode of Two and a Half Men is the funniest momentin the film. And, yes, to answer your question, he does play exactlythe same character he played in The Hangover; only now he seemsself-aware of what he did in the previous and is just trying to do thesame, only much worse. A shame, too; he's still probably one of thefunniest comedians/actors on the scene. But, we all have to make abuck. As they say, "Even Karl Marx had to pay for his beer." Frankly, I just didn't get this film. I would actually compare it moreto Road Trip than to PT&A, which makes sense considering the filmmaker.PT&A combined its comedy with great acting and heart/sincerity. DueDate doesn't even try in this department. Like Road Trip, It's just ascribbled laundry list of uninteresting, trite nonsense and du jourcameos. The Hangover was a fluke. A hilarious and well-made fluke. But a fluke. Oh, well. At least this mess wasn't two-and-a-half hours (Phillips hasgot something over Apatow there).

Mick LaSalle

14 May 2012

It has laughs. Take any scene at random, and it will probably have something mildly funny in it. But the comedy never really takes off because it's phony.

Tim Martain

13 May 2012

The initial setup is a bit of a stretch and the ending feels unfinished but most of the stuff in between - bog standard as it is - works pretty well.

jjj1924

13 May 2012

Funny, but could have been better

After originally having high hopes, I then began to dread that it wasgoing to be awful, after reading some of the reviews. It fell in themiddle, was good enough, without being great. Downey Junior had theincredulous expressions down to a tee. Galifianakis is good at thebumbler. One thing the people berating it got right, he has to makesure he is not typecast as the lovable loser. It is no Planes Trains,but enjoyable enough. About halfway through, you get the feeling it isabout to run out of steam, but it picks up. A good cameo from JulietteLewis as the drug dealer, Jamie Foxx's cameo is mostly pointless, onlyseems to be there for the joke with Galifianakis' dads ashes in thecoffee tin. Overall, an enjoyable enough 90 minutes, but could havebeen so much better.

Max_cinefilo89

13 May 2012

Not quite the new Hangover

Because of the unexpected success of The Hangover (at the time ofwriting, the highest grossing R-rated comedy ever), people werereasonably excited about Todd Phillips's new project, road movie DueDate, which blends an established genre with the director's un-PCapproach and the acting talents of Robert Downy Jr. and ZachGalifianakis. And yet, the mixture isn't an entirely successful one.Nothing wrong with the plot, however derivative it may be: due to anairport mishap, Peter Highman (Downey Jr.) is unable to take a plane toLos Angeles so that he can witness his wife (Michelle Monaghan) givebirth to their first child. The only option is to rent a car, but withhis wallet missing he has to accept to make the journey in the companyof Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis), an aspiring actor with a few problemsin the social skills department - in fact, he's the reason Peter gotthrown off the plane in the first place.If it all sounds a bit familiar (two mismatched "buddies" travelingtogether), it's because the movie is essentially a cruder re-thread ofPlanes, Trains and Automobiles. Problem is, John Hughes's charmingcomedy had a charismatic leading duo and a sharp script that onlyoccasionally - the "Those aren't pillows!" moment and Steve Martin'smemorably filthy rant at the car rental - relied on adult-orientedgags. Due Date, on the other hand, while having no major defects interms of casting (more on that later), suffers from a lacklusterscreenplay that makes up for its lack of substance with R-rated jokesgalore, most notably with a masturbation gag that invites unwelcomecomparisons with one of the most notorious scenes in The Hangover. Italso doesn't help that the film's crude spirit is let down by aschmaltzy climax, like most mainstream comedies today.Which leaves us with the actors. Curiously enough, Galifianakis is theleast interesting of the lot, in no small measure because he'sessentially recycling his Hangover shtick (although the Two and a HalfMen joke is a good one, as is his Brando impression). Downey Jr. ismore fun to watch, if only because he gets to fully embrace his darkerside (you wouldn't see him picking a fight with a kid in the Iron Manmovies, would you?) and even make fun of his troublesome past (at onepoint he quips: "I've never done drugs in my life!"). Monaghan is,predictably, a bit useless, but cameos by Juliette Lewis, Danny McBrideand Jamie Foxx add plenty of chuckles along the way.In the end, though, Due Date is arguably the weakest film Phillips hasmade in quite some time. In fact, for those craving a road movie withR-rated comedy moments, his earlier effort Road Trip is a betteroption.6,5/10

RickHarvey

11 May 2012

Due Date

Robert Downey Jnr, A exceptional actor who has the ability to make youlaugh while no being OTT. Maybe that's why i enjoyed this film. If Zachwas teamed up with someone like Ben Still or Bradley Cooper, then thisfilm would of inevitably been another average Hollywood film. And it iswhen you get down to the basics.There's nothing to the plot. Peter has 5 days to get his butt to thehospital to see the birth of his first child. A mix up at the airportleaves him in the 'no fly zone' and abolishes any hope of arriving atthe side of his partner. Well, he takes a hitch with a junkie low liferand there endeavour across the states begins.The chemistry between the both of them is wonderful. There are manyhilarious scenes and one-liners to keep you laughing throughout theentire film. The Mexico dilemma could of been edited out but nevermind.The film was only going to end in one way. No big deal. Both majorparts were acted incredibly and to that i say this is worth a watch

Quietb-1

11 May 2012

Caution Bumby Road

Most of the best jokes are in the trailers. If Robert Doeney Jr.doesn't want to spend time with Zach Galifianakis why do you? Both playunlikeable characters. Spit on a dog? Actually Galifianakis performanceis the highlight of this road romp. His performance might be recognizedat award season.For a relatively short movie, it begins to feel long and drags attimes.There is a major tone problem. Pardon the spoiler but it spoils themood. Perhaps it is funny when Downey is shot by the Air Marshall witha "rubber bullet" to keep it light. There is nothing funny later whenhe is actually shot and nearly bleeds to death.There is a distracting use of music.The movie is adequate entertainment at bargain matinée prices. Theending was a fun pleasant surprise.

Betsy Sharkey

08 May 2012

This is a disappointing turn coming from Phillips, particularly since "The Hangover" was such a fresh, bracing brew of black comic fun.

Phil Villarreal

08 May 2012

The material may not be as inspired as The Hangover, director Todd Phillips' last outing, but it never bores and keeps the laughs in the theater so loud you'll miss enough few follow-up jokes to want to see the movie again.

07 May 2012

Disgusting

I have enjoyed some of the recent comedies like The Hangover and Bridesmaids, but this movie was so awful, I couldn't finish it. Some things just aren't funny to me, and some movies just go too far with the gross-out humor. I assume that if I had continued past the scene where the two guys spend the night in the car with the dog (you know what I'm talking about), other funny scenes might have redeemed the movie. Maybe if I'd been in a movie theater, it would have seemed funnier?

07 May 2012

could not stop laughing

From drinking pops ashes after being cremated, to a little master....... in front of a stranger needed to fall asleep, to getting beated by a handicapped war vet - I simply could not stop laughing.If you are a "serious" person and get offened at simple things - this may not be for you. If you like to laugh a bit and can joke at all - 100% for you!!