Due Date

Peter (Robert Downey Jr.) is an architect on a business trip in Atlanta who needs to get home fast for the imminent birth of his child.  But bumping into a slovenly stranger named Ethan (Zach Galifianakis) at the airport leads to a series of mishaps and misunderstandings that land him on the "no-fly" list.  Now, Peter is stranded with no money or ID, and with a very pregnant wife waiting for him in L.A. - so he is forced to hitch a ride with Ethan against his better judgement.  Will this odd couple be able to survive a cross-country road trip together and make it there in one piece?  Director Todd Phillips ("The Hangover") once again casts Galifianakis in the role of the overgrown man-child.  Paired with Downey Jr.'s cool abrasiveness, the two actors have an undeniable, if unexpected, chemistry together.  Of course, Ethan's character is now rote (when did every modern movie out there start calling for this moronic man-baby sterotype?), but luckily Galifianakis is so great at it.  He plays Ethan with an annoyingly endearing innocence that grows on you despite your unwillingness to like him.  However, this buddy film is not without its share of problems.  For one, it tries hard to be an enjoyable, feel-good comedy, and it does have several great laughs.  But some of the situations that Ethan and Peter are thrown in are so extreme that it makes for moments that are more uncomfortable than funny.  For example, the scene in which Ethan reveals to Peter the real reason of how they ended up on their road trip together is supposed to induce laughter, but instead turns into a dark, slightly scary moment.of Peter finally losing it in a blaze of anger.  Also, the subplot of Peter suspecting his wife of infidelity is derivative at best, and is pretty superfluous to the main story.  The one that really shines here is Galifianakis, because even though you feel like you've seen him play the Ethan character before, he surprisingly delivers a few key emotional scenes involving the recent death of his father that make you realize this actor is more multi-dimensional than he lets on.  "Due Date" may not be the most original entry in the frat-boy flick comedy genre, but the Galifianakis/Downey Jr. combo is an inspired and memorable one.

3 out of 5 stars