Joker Director Missed the Mark With This Robert Downey Jr./Zach Galifianakis Comedy
Back in 2010, Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis were riding high on newfound fame and fortune. The world was having a love affair with Downey, who had suddenly become Hollywood’s biggest A-list star after he stepped into the role of Marvel's Iron Man, effectively kicking off what would become the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After that was his Oscar-nominated performance in Tropic Thunder, followed by his leading role as the great detective, Sherlock Holmes. Meanwhile, comedian Galifianakis finally hit it big with his role as Alan in the global smash hit, The Hangover. But do you remember when both actors starred opposite each other in a road trip buddy comedy?
It was the 2010 film, Due Date. Somewhat of a spiritual successor to the Steve Martin and John Candy comedy, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Downey and Galifianakis are an oddball pairing in a raucous comedy. Due Date was fairly successful for its time and featured an A-list cast, but it's rarely discussed these days. Oh, and it was directed by Todd Phillips, a filmmaker who is likely best known to moviegoers and comic book fans for a little movie called Joker. With Downey returning to theaters this summer in Christopher Nolan’s historical drama, Oppenheimer, his first movie since 2020’s Dolittle, and Phillips hard at work on Joker: Folie à Deux, it’s time to revisit their 2010 comedy.
'Due Date' Has a Talented Cast and Crew
The film Due Date has a lot going for it, featuring top talent in front of and behind the camera. The film features Downey as its protagonist, a straight-laced architect, Peter Highman, simply trying to get back to LA since his wife, Sarah (Michelle Monaghan), is about to give birth. After a series of unfortunate events, he’s stuck traveling across the country with the eccentric oddball, Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis), and Ethan’s dog Sonny. Of course, many hijinks ensue. Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx, Oscar-nominated Juliette Lewis, and Danny McBride appear in the film in supporting roles throughout the various misadventures, rounding out the fairly talented cast of veteran thespians and comedic talents.
Behind the camera is Todd Phillips, fresh off the success of The Hangover, a genre-defining R-rated comedy that became a box office smash, grossing $468 million worldwide. At the time of Due Date’s release, Phillips was best known for the other successful comedies he directed throughout the 2000s, such as another road trip comedy, aptly titled Road Trip, as well as Old School, and Starsky & Hutch.
'Due Date' Borrows a Lot From Other Comedies
Overall, Due Date was a success at the box office. Budgeted at $65 million, the film made $100 million domestically and $211 million worldwide. While audiences appeared to enjoy the film, critics were not as kind, as the film scored a 40% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As for why so few people appear to discuss the movie these days, the film served as more of a transitional footnote for both lead actors at different points in their careers. In the role of Ethan, Galifianakis still seems to be in the mode of his Hangover performance. In terms of personality, performance, and dialogue, the socially awkward Ethan is virtually identical to Alan from The Hangover. Also, Due Date owes much of its identity to the John Hughes classic, Planes, Trains and Automobiles; entire beats and scenes were lifted from the latter.
The scene where Peter and Ethan are in the car, and Ethan is playing Pink Floyd while getting high on marijuana is comparable to the scene in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles with John Candy as Del Griffith is driving and listening to Ray Charles' "Mess Around." He then accidentally ends up driving the car to the wrong side of the road. Martin's character, Neal Page, eventually wakes up when they are nearly sandwiched between two freight trucks, and he has a vision of Candy dressed up like a devil. Likewise, in Due Date, when Peter wakes up from his nap, due to hallucinating from the drugs, he sees Ethan looking like a giant bear. The film follows a very similar structure to the 1987 film from how Peter and Ethan first meet in an incident involving a taxi to how these two very opposite individuals are thrust together in their comedic misadventure. While Due Date was reasonably successful, it didn't do as well as The Hangover. Critics appeared to be unimpressed with Galifianakis playing a character who so closely resembled Alan from The Hangover yet again in all but name. The film also followed the road trip comedy playbook very closely, so much so that the film resembles a remake of Planes, Trains and Automobiles in all but name. Audiences likely saw this to some degree as well, making Due Date come off like a comedic rehash.
Downey and Galifianakis Make for an Epic Comedic Duo
Despite the derivative elements, Due Date is elevated by Galifianakis and Downey's tremendous onscreen chemistry. Peter is an empathetic figure as the audience's window in, constantly tortured and routinely punished due to the comedic antics of Ethan. While Ethan is the source of the many problems and obstacles Peter faces throughout the adventure, Ethan's affable nature succeeds in making him incredibly likable and charming. Not to mention, Galifianakis' dialogue and comedic timing are as impeccable as ever in Due Date, making him the perfect foil to Downey.
'Due Date' Lacks Emotional Poignancy
While Due Date follows many familiar beats of the road trip comedy, what it perhaps could have used a bit more of was some more genuine, emotional moments. The Grand Canyon scene is one such moment, as Peter shows remarkable compassion toward Ethan when he is spreading his father's ashes. Considering Peter is about to become a father, the film appears to hint there might be some anxiety on his part, or that Peter is attempting to overcome his own trauma of a father he lost. The best road trip comedies are ones that are able to manage both the comedic high jinks, along with developing the characters into well-rounded individuals. Due Date focuses more on the extreme, outrageous comedic material over the more poignant emotional parts. Due Date fails to meet the standard of Planes, Trains and Automobiles because the emotionally poignant and bittersweet moments of that film are the ones filmmaker John Hughes hits hardest.
While Due Date didn’t become an all-time comedy classic, all the main players experienced continued exceptional career success following the film's release. Due Date is not a groundbreaking all-time classic road trip comedy, but it still has its enjoyable moments, thanks in large part to the talents of both Downey and Galifianakis.
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