With his wife set to give birth in just a few days' time, Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr..) is on his way home to LA. Anticipating a straightforward flight from Atlanta, Peter doesn't count on the interference of the oddball aspiring actor, Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), sitting behind him.
Unintentionally implicating Peter in a bomb threat misunderstanding, Ethan gets them both thrown off the plane and placed on the airport's blacklist. Realising he's left his wallet on board, Peter has no choice but to hitch a lift with Ethan, who is hoping to kick-start his career in Hollywood.
With Sarah's (Michelle Monaghan) scheduled Caesarean fast approaching, highly strung Peter is desperate to make it home for the birth. But as Ethan's maddening idiocy and inexplicable naivety throw the journey wildly off course, Peter's blood is soon at boiling point.
From the director of The Hangover, Due Date clearly shares a lot of the smash-hit comedy's DNA. For example, a road trip on which a succession of scrapes occurs, check. A ticking clock counting down to a life-defining moment, check. A touch of male bonding, check. And Galifianakis as a childlike chump, double check. So while Todd Phillips' follow-up effort might not be as original, the charisma of Downey Jr and the unique talents of Galifianakis help wring maximum laughs from a familiar premise. With the respectively wry and puppyish duo making an amusingly mismatched pair, Jamie Foxx, as Peter's best friend, and Juliette Lewis as a pot dealer - the actors bring their own distinctive flavours to the show.
Due Date isn't quite as endearing as The Hangover, with both principal characters rather difficult to like. There are, however, lots of laughs to be had, and in the realm of the chucklesome popcorn comedy, it's a trip you won't regret taking.
Due Date is a Film programme that first aired in 2010 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
