ON THE SILVER SCREEN: EXPECT SOLID SOPHISTICATED HUMOR FROM "DUE DATE"

By Brian Lafferty

November 7, 2010 (San Diego) – Due Date feels like an in-between job for Todd Phillips. His previous film, last year’s The Hangover, is one of the funniest comedies I’ve ever seen and that is not something I say lightly. The sequel is set to release next year. Due Date doesn’t have anywhere near the number of laughs as The Hangover, which I don’t fault; that movie achieved a seemingly impossible feat in which every single gag was not only funny but downright hilarious. But Due Date has enough laughs for me to recommend it.

Robert Downey Jr. plays an architect who, through an unfortunate set of circumstances is forced to travel by car from Atlanta to Los Angeles for the birth of his first child. In order to get there he has to pair up with Zach Galifianakis, an oddball aspiring actor. The two go through numerous misadventures, totaled cars, highs (in all senses of the word), and lows. Shades of Planes, Trains, & Automobiles.

The movie succeeds largely on the basis of the two leads. They have great chemistry together, which allows the multiple layers of humor to work. Downey, Jr. garnered smiles from me for imparting and blending many acting styles ranging from exasperation, disgust, and being taken aback by Galifianakis’ eccentricities most of it simultaneously. Galifianakis never goes overboard. He is weird without being obvious. He is funny because of his honest and casual approach. Both the characters’ individual quirks as well as the juxtaposition of the personalities of these two polar opposite characters combine to create the humor.

I said there were enough laughs. I will admit I wasn’t laughing that much. In fact, neither was the audience; there were stretches of silence in the theater. I can attribute this to the fact that the humor is sophisticated. There are obvious and funny belly-laugh moments. My favorite is when Downey Jr. learns to his horror and revulsion what Galifianakis needs to do to go to sleep (Hint: it is not watching television). Rather than using slapstick and raunch Phillips and his screenwriters rely on irony and the actors’ facial expressions, body language, and the deliverance of their lines to convey the humor.

During the times I wasn’t laughing I noticed something about the writing that benefited the film. A lot of attention is paid to the dialogue, which contains a lot of well-written lines. Because the dialogue isn’t generic it makes up for the lack of laughs. It has a quality that makes the film a pleasure to listen to and able to sit through patiently.

I wouldn’t call Due Date a disappointment. It is an unexpected offering from Todd Phillips. I liked it enough and when I wasn’t laughing I was either giggling or smiling. The movie could have been a little better and I wish there could have been more laughs but it will do until The Hangover 2.

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