Judd Apatow and his team of foul mouthed idiots has done something that for the most part has caught Hollywood by surprise. That something is the ability to seamlessly blend crass humor with sugary sentiment. For years comedies often based their premise not on developing an attachment with the characters, but more so exploiting their character’s idiosyncrasies for laughs. Of course, Apatow wasn’t the first guy to try and create a comedic film with a sense of heart, but his consistent ability to develop material that was both funny and poignant has exposed a new comedy blueprint for the studios. Now, films are constantly trying to find a balance between jokes and emotions. Some have succeeded while most have floundered around like a beached fish. Last year director Todd Phillips put out what was arguably the anti-Apatow film in The Hangover. The humor was outlandish, male inclined, and down right hilarious. All of which wasn’t supported by emotional truths or declarations of love. It was pure, unadulterated hilarity.
This is not to say that I don’t love the Apatow brand of humor, but it was refreshing to see a film embrace its preposterous setup without feeling the need drop a moral code on us. After seeing the trailer for Todd Phillip’s new film Due Date, which stars Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianikis, whom was one of the huge reasons for “The Hangover’s” potency, I was excited yet again for a comedy that ran wild. Sure, Due Date looked like it was a rehashing of a typical comedy setup, the road trip/odd couple routine, but the candor of its two leads and the zany willingness of its director had me deeply interested. But, after viewing the film my interest had soured. I don’t want to say my expectations weren’t met, simply because that wouldn’t be an objective route to take. But my problem laid in the film’s incessant need to try and inject Apatow like emotions with half-hearted results.
The problem begins with the relationship that Downey Jr’s character and Galifianakis’ character strike up. As you’d expect, Downey Jr. is the relative normal guy in this film. His character, Peter, is trying to get home to witness the birth of his son. But, due to the abnormal behavior of Galifianakis’ character Ethan, Peter has been denied any opportunity to fly home. Knowing he was responsible for Peter’s grounding, Ethan suggests he and Peter ride together in a cross country trip. Desperate for any way home, Peter agrees, and so begins their march to Los Angeles from Atlanta. As you can imagine, Ethan irritates Peter to no end with his askew idiosyncrasies, often making Peter feel the need to leave Ethan behind. I must admit that through these vastly different characters, Downey Jr. and Galifinakis make for a hilarious combination. Downey Jr. does a terrific job of grounding the laughs while Galifinakis expertly presses Ethan’s awkward social cues onto his counterpart. Knowing the ability that lies within his leads, director Todd Phillips does a great job of letting them work without any limitations.
Yet, the most persistent problem with Todd Phillips and the screenplay is that they can’t find some way to find an equilibrium between the insane punch lines and emotionally shifting scenes. Both the characters of Ethan and Peter have daddy troubles that often perpetuate their behavior. The former is driving across the country as a means to spread his dad’s ashes, while the latter’s father has been non-existent ever since childhood. Their determination to reaching their destination promptly is within reason, but the faux sentimental moments the two have across their road trip just rings false. There are certainly building blocks present, which is most notable in their aforementioned father afflictions, but nothing substantial enough to let these men cry in front of each other. This issue is further exacerbated by Peter’s brushes of hatred towards Ethan. For as much as Ethan messes up Peter’s life, there is absolutely no reasoning behind Peter’s constant reliance on Ethan’s child like behavior other than desperation. One moment Peter is ready to bash his skull in while another he’s deeply sympathetic. The transitions from extreme hate to a fueling understanding is jarring and hollow. Had the film merely focused on Peter’s ordeal back home versus finding a new friend in Ethan, it would’ve been an extremely successful comedy that was pushed further by its charming leads. Instead, what we get is a comedy desperately trying to reach the resonance of an Apatow film. Although its heart is in the right place, its punch lines based on irritation are misguiding.
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