Due Date (2010)

High-strung father-to-be Peter Highman is forced to hitch a ride with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay on a road trip in order to make it to his child's birth on time.

Director:

Todd Phillips

Writers:

Alan R. Cohen (screenplay), Alan Freedland (screenplay),

Stars:

Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Peter Highman
Zach Galifianakis	...	Ethan Tremblay / Ethan Chase / Stu
Michelle Monaghan	...	Sarah Highman
Jamie Foxx	...	Darryl
Juliette Lewis	...	Heidi
Danny McBride	...	Lonnie
RZA	...	Airport Screener
Matt Walsh	...	TSA Agent
Brody Stevens	...	Limo Driver
Jakob Ulrich	...	Patrick
Naiia Ulrich	...	Alex
Todd Phillips	...	Barry
Bobby Tisdale	...	Carl
Sharon Conley	...	Airport X-Ray (as Sharon Morris)
Nathalie Fay	...	Flight Attendant

Storyline

Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) must get to LA in five days to be at the birth of his firstborn. He is about to fly home from Atlanta when his luggage and wallet are sent to LA without him, and he is put on the "no-fly" list. Desperate to get home Peter is forced to accept the offer of Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) to hitch a ride with him cross-country. Peter is about to go on the most terrifying and agonizing journey of his life.

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Plot Keywords:

birth | wallet | road trip | aspiring actor | cross country | 

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Taglines:

"Dad... you were like a father to me."

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, drug use and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

5 November 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Todo un parto

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque Studios - 5650 University Boulevard SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£2,346,089 (UK) (5 November 2010)

Gross:

$100,448,498 (USA) (21 January 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, Green Hat Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Todd Phillips:  [dog]  A white French bulldog appears in both Due Date and The Hangover, but it is not the same dog. Scott Budnick was an Executive Producer on both films and owns a French bulldog.

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Goofs

While driving from Hartsfield Jackson Airport in Atlanta, you can briefly see Turner Field Baseball Stadium on the left side (driver's side) of the car. That would indicate that they would be traveling towards the airport, not away from it.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Peter Highman: I just had the strangest dream. It's Friday. We're at the hospital. But it's not a hospital, it's a, a, a forest of sorts. And I know that because right next to you there's a bear. A grizzly, cooling his feet in a stream. And all of a sudden, you begin to deliver, and I can't get to you. But the bear can. And the next thing I know, he is holding our beautiful baby boy. And here's where it gets odd. Uh, he chews the cord. But, strangely, I'm okay with it. That's gotta be a good sign.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood's Top Ten: Richard Roeper: Movies That I'm Thankful For (2010)

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Soundtracks

"New Moon Rising"
Written by Andrew Stockdale (as Andrew James Stockdale)
Performed by Wolfmother
Courtesy of Modular Recordings/Universal Music Australia
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Uneven, light on laughs, mawkish in places

I found this an uneven film, which relied on large wacky set pieces set alongside very serious (bordering on mawkish) emotional moments making for an awkward stop-start feel. Some plot points didn't go anywhere and others had nowhere near the possible comic payoff you were expecting.

Personally I found the film lacked a certain energy, in between the large plot points there is very little funny dialogue or character development which ultimately what makes a road movie like this work.

Robert Downey Jnr. plays the neurotic straight man up to 11, but often this leads to him going borderline psychotic, while Zach Galifianakis is seemingly a dozen 'wacky' characters you've seen before all rolled into one. It certainly makes for an odd couple but not the best.

Its hardly a terrible film but it doesn't flow and feels almost like a first draft. I tried to ignore the unrealistic elements and plot holes but there's quite a few. This was disappointing more than anything as the Hangover managed to balance the off-the-wall elements well for comic effect, here however it just left me unfulfilled.