Due Date

OPENING: 11/05/2010

STUDIO: Warner Bros.

RUN TIME: 100 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Leave Your Comfort Zone

Opening Statement
Director Todd Phillips has been helming mainstream comedies for the past decade or so, but he rose to new heights with the unexpected mega-success of The Hangover. Phillips returns to the big screen with Due Date, a considerably more modest affair that’s both darker and sweeter than its predecessor.

Facts of the Case
Peter Highman (Robert Downey, Jr., Sherlock Holmes) is an architect and soon-to-be father. He’s currently in Atlanta on business, but is preparing to return home to Los Angeles in order to witness the birth of his son. Alas, an unfortunate run-in with an aspiring actor named Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis, Bored to Death) leads to a confrontation that puts both men on the “no-fly” list. For reasons too complicated to explain, Peter accepts when Ethan offers him a ride to California in a rental car. So begins a long, stress-inducing journey in which Ethan unintentionally does everything possible to make the next few days of Peter’s life a living hell.

The Evidence
I have to confess something: I still can’t figure out why The Hangover was such a big deal. Maybe it’s just that I didn’t get around to watching until after enduring six months or so of endless hype about its greatness, but I didn’t find its rowdy frat boy humor particularly remarkable. Sure, it had some fun moments (not to mention a very enjoyable breakout performance from Zach Galifianakis), but it hardly seemed deserving of the “best comedy of the year” label so frequently applied to it. Ah, well. There’s a part of me that wants to tell you Due Date is a better film, because it’s certainly a more mature film. Alas, despite noble intentions, much of the movie doesn’t quite work.

Phillips is essentially remaking John Hughes’ classic road movie Trains, Planes and Automobiles, in which uptight businessman Steve Martin has to endure the companionship of cheerfully irritating shower curtain salesman John Candy. In this film, uptight businessman Robert Downey, Jr. has to endure the companionship of cheerfully irritating wannabe actor Zach Galiafianakis. Some of the personality elements are different, and this film certainly has a nastier sense of humor, but the basic framework is the same (all the way down to the explosive argument scenes followed by sheepishly apologetic make-up sessions). However, there are a couple of big reasons the film doesn’t work nearly as well as Hughes’ beloved film.

First of all, the characters are a little problematic. Robert Downey, Jr. has been on a hot streak in recent years, with terrific roles in films like Iron Man, Tropic Thunder, Sherlock Holmes and Zodiac. Traditionally, he’s the intelligent yet unpredictable rapid-fire loose cannon running through the story (a note he plays very well indeed). In this film, he’s playing the straight man – the one trying to keep things together while someone else behaves in eccentric ways. Downey can do this sort of thing too (see his work in The Soloist), but Due Date hands him a repetitive role. Downey gets irritated, gets explosively angry, then sighs, apologizes and starts over again. That’s fine, but the script runs the character through this cycle a few too many times before the credits roll.

The Galifianakis character is even more troublesome. One of the reasons you were able to empathize with Steve Martin’s frustration and affection for John Candy in Planes, Trains and Automobiles is that Candy’s character was so well-drawn: odds are you knew someone a lot like him. However, Ethan seems to have been invented specifically for the purposes of irritating Peter. The character’s behavior is too insistently wrong-headed and over-the-top on a regular basis to be convincing; the filmmakers go so far for laughs that they lose touch with reality. Galifianakis is a gifted comic actor and does some funny things in the role, but too many scenes fail to resonate because Ethan fails to feel like a real human being.

The second reason the film doesn’t quite work is that it can’t seem to find a way to reconcile its dark sense of humor with its warm, gooey center. We’ve seen plenty of recent comedies hiding warmth under raunch (including The Hangover), but some of the scenes offered in Due Date are a little harder to pull back from. Consider a scene where Peter punches a young child. The movie’s going for queasy laughter and gets it, but it’s hard to feel much sympathy for him afterwards when the movie turns sentimental. I’m not against edgy comedy, but it’s tough to turn convincingly warm n’ cuddly after a scene like that. Likewise, there’s a scene midway through the film in which Peter leaves a nasty message on his wife’s (Michelle Monaghan, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) answering machine. It would be a trigger for some seriously unpleasant conflict in real life, but the whole matter is smoothed over in seconds the next time the characters chat in the film.

Closing Statement
I’ve spent most of this review talking about Due Date’s problems, but it really isn’t that bad. The actors do valiant work despite the problems with the script, and there are a number of genuine laughs scattered throughout. Cameo appearances by Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers), Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down), Jamie Foxx (The Soloist) and RZA (Coffee and Cigarettes) hit just the right notes, and there are a handful of sublime self-contained moments. Unfortunately, Due Date adds up to less than the sum of its parts. It’s an interesting misfire.

The Verdict
6/10

The Hangover

OPENING: 05/05/2009

STUDIO: Warner Bros.

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

SOUNDTRACK:

The Charge
Some guys just can’t handle Vegas.

Opening Statement
When we recorded our Summer Movie Guide podcast, we overlooked The Hangover. That’s not to say it wasn’t on our minds. It just wasn’t significant enough to mention. After all, it’s a comedy lacking A-list stars from a guy who’s last name isn’t Apatow. Who would have guessed the buzz generated by early screenings yielding shrieks of laughter from audiences. I attended one of those screenings, and pretty much all the critics sitting with me were unanimous in saying The Hangover was a raucously funny movie.

Facts of the Case
Doug Billings (Justin Bartha, National Treasure) is tying the knot with his lovely fiancee. Before the big day, however, his buddies Stu (Ed Helms, The Office) and Phil (Bradley Cooper, Yes Man) want to throw him an unforgettable bachelor party. With Doug’s soon-to-be brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis, Live at the Purple Onion) tagging along, the quartet lands in Sin City and a suite at Caesar’s Palace. Toasting the night’s festivities to come, overlooking the lights of the strip, little do they realize how their wild night will play out.

Morning breaks. The suite is trashed. A chair is scorched. Ed (a dentist) has lost a tooth. A wristband indicates Phil had been in the hospital. Alan awakes half-naked with a headache. There’s a chicken walking around, a tiger sitting soundly in the bathroom, a baby crying in the closet, and Doug is nowhere to be found. Battling massive hangovers, the three must somehow locate the groom and deliver him to the wedding.

The Evidence
This isn’t exactly a return to form for director Todd Phillips, but for those who’ve been patiently waiting for another joyfully raunchy comedy in the vein of Phillips’ Road Trip and Old School, that wait is finally over. Once again, Phillips taps into his inner imbecile, reminiscing about the days of alcohol, drugs, and morning vomit, exploring the bonds of male friendship, in the wake of hardcore partying and its consequences. Working from a screenplay by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past), he somehow manages to create another winning combination of scatalogical behavior and bromantic chemistry.

While The Hangover is unapologetically irresponsible and politically incorrect in the extreme, it also gives us three likable guys (each with radically different quirks) on a journey which is not only entertaining, but armed with a keg full of twists. The setup is farcical and exaggerated, but pays off with some huge laughs and a surprising heart underneath all the chaos. The clever narrative focuses on the aftermath of the night before, while putting the puzzle pieces together, enabling us forget the painful and pitiful Dude, Where’s My Car? To give away anything else would be a huge cheat. Let’s just say these guys go through more complicated misadventures than anyone could possibly deal with. Just don’t watch the trailer before seeing the film. It gives away too much.

Phillips’ film succeeds because he knows the rules of comedy. The Hangover may be episodic and guilty of uneveness, but doesn’t rely on a string of goofy gags or crude wordplay to sell its humor. The writers don’t make the mistake of creating passive characters who embarass themselves, becoming victims to everything thrown at them. Phil, Stu, and Alan are all well-developed, each contributing much to the crazy proceedings. Some of their mannerisms and behavior are not unfamiliar, but they exhibit them with striking naturalness. Phil is the "What-me-worry?" type, constantly trying not to let either of his companions succumb to insanity. Stu is dorky but intelligent. He wants to have fun, but fibs to his bitchy wife about what he’s doing. Alan is the quiet, loutish, observant type who attempts to ingratiate himself with his new friends, not giving a damn if they scoff at his odd wardrobe choices. Thankfully, Phillips presents them as real guys in their mid-30s and not merely as vulnerable party animals or comic puppets to exploit.

Phillips made a wise choice by not casting overrated comedians like Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn. Save for Heather Graham — who is surprisingly charming as a hooker/stripper — all of the leads are known for their television or standup work. Helms is perfect as the straight-arrow submissive who intends to marry his girlfriend even if she has cheated on him. Cooper excels as the ostensibly cocky, supercool ringleader who supervises the investigation. Then there’s Galifianikis, the real newcomer who almost steals the film with his clownish/childish antics, dum-dum demeanor, and anything-goes attitude. And don’t overlook bad boy boxer Mike Tyson in a small but memorable walk-on role.

Phillips could have tightened things up more, but this is more a minor annoyance than a big deal. Like most near-great comedies, The Hangover slows down in its final reel. For the first two-thirds, it’s largely non-stop laughter, but succumbs to autopilot before being re-energized at the end credits. Believe me, the final montage will leave you choking for breath.

One word of warning: Like many of its R-rated cousins, The Hangover is truly fearless in its comedy. No ethnic, racial, or sexual stone is left unturned. The film doesn’t shy away from graphic images, harsh language, or gratuitious nudity by both sexes. While the film does revel in bad taste, it doesn’t rely on it.

What does disappoint me is the early version I saw was a little different from the theatrical release. Some of the raunchier bits were toned down (possibly to avoid an NC-17 rating) and I’m willing to bet the cut I saw will be the inevitable “unrated” version on DVD. With that in mind, some of you might want to wait and skip seeing it in the theater.

Closing Statement
Hangovers suck, and this movie knows it. For anyone who’s ever blacked out during a juvenile escapade only to wake up and deal with the aftermath in a WTF-manner, The Hangover might bring back some hazy memories. Regardless, the remaining comedies of 2009 (including Sacha Baron Cohen’s new no-holds-barred Bruno), will have an uphill battle to match this potential classic.

The Verdict
9/10