I know it’s kind of cheap to compare Due Date to Planes, Trains and Automobiles. But no matter how I looked at it, that was the most glaring thing about the movie I could make fun of.
I mean, sure, I could have taken a shot at Zach Galifianakis and his bearded weirdo shtick. But that’s kind of like making fun of a fourth grader for eating paste. He’s not hurting anyone. Just leave him be.
Incidentally, does anyone have the sneaking suspicion that Zach Galifianakis might already be wearing out his welcome? I like the guy, but I think he’s best in small doses. Sticking him into the middle of a quasi-mainstream comedy like Due Date doesn’t seem like the brightest idea to me because it puts a lot of pressure on the guy to go toe-to-toe with the lead actor (in this case, Robert Downey Jr.) instead of leaving him to operate on the fringe, tossing in odd and funny one-liners.
I cast serious doubt over Due Date at the end of the first trailer that came out back in July when Galifianakis tells Downey Jr. “You’d better check yourself… before your wreck yourself.”
I know that’s a weird detail to focus on. But, for me, it became representative of an awareness Galifianakis seems to be developing about his performances. Before, he was weird for weird’s sake – which is entertaining – but now he needs to be weird because audiences expect him to be weird – which is patronizing.
At this point, the weirdest think Galifianakis can do is play a role completely straight.
Obviously, my excuse for seeing Due Date is for Robert Downey Jr.. I just kind of wish they flipped the script a little bit in terms of the movie’s plot. An uptight dude and a weirdo? Like I pointed out in the comic… it’s too much like Planes, Trains and Automobiles. If they wanted to make a REALLY interesting road movie, they should have paired Downey Jr. up with Vince Vaughn – just to see which actor could out-motormouth the other one!
I think what surprised me most about Due Date was how badly Cami wanted to see it. I still haven’t been able to pinpoint why. Which can only mean one thing – she has a secret crush on Zach Galifianakis. I can see why. Never underestimate the appeal of an overweight weirdo. She married me, didn’t she?
So what did you guys think about Due Date? Anyone skip it and see Megamind instead? Leave your comments below!
Not much. Cleaned out the garage. Bummed around. How about you?
Oh! I saw this really funny movie.
This high-strung guy can't get a flight home, so he has to travel cross-country with some slob he met at the airport!
So you went and saw Due Date?
What? NO! Planes, Trains and Automobiles was on HBO.
I took Lilly to see Megamind. She really wanted to see the “evil blue king” movie. And although it came off a little too much like Despicable Me with a “super hero” thrown in, it was a light, fun movie with an awesome soundtrack! Mostly it wasn’t laugh-out-loud funny, but it was still pretty enjoyable.
On Galifianakis, I can only say that he’s the new Jack Black. Jack was great for a while there, but eventually he wore out the welcome, which can be attributed greatly to overexposure. But, all of a sudden, he shows up in movies like King Kong and The Holiday, surprising us with his “real” acting. Of course, Nacho Libre was in between the two, so it kind of cancels them out. If Zach can manage to avoid the trap movies, he should be ok.
On Cami – this seems like an obvious opportunity for you to try to grow a winter beard. If Cami is crushing on Zach, it HAS to be the beard.
I grew a beard once.
It didn’t go well.
For a nice change of pace, check out Galifianakis in It’s Kind of a Funny Story. He shows that he’s very good in a serious role.
Actually, that’s a good example of what I’m suggesting. Dial it back a little bit, y’know? There’s a teddy bear quality to Galifianakis that I don’t think he’s tapped into completely yet.
I saw Due Date this weekend and I thought Galifanakis brought the film down. Downey is great as usual, but ZG’s character was written and portrayed so stupidly, you start to wonder why Downey stays with him through the course of the film, especially as his actions build and build. Funnily enough, I watched It’s Kind of a Funny Story, which has him playing a more dramatic role and he was excellent. So, maybe it depends on the writing given to him.
I also saw Megamind and I liked it. The voice-cast was top-notch, the jokes mostly hit and there was a nice emotional layer that gave it that extra oomph. What is it with animated films not showcasing their emotional side in the trailers? It happened with How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me and now Megamind. Apparently, Tangled is also a lot more emotional and serious than the trailers make on.
Oh and I wouldn’t pay extra for the 3-D. It was solid, but there were too many “poke the audience in the fact” effects for my taste.
I saw Due Date over the weekend, and I think Zach turned in a performance that will be underrated. Of course, I might just be a Galifinakis apologist.
He plays a character that is really a child in a man’s body, and he maintains a sort of lovability even throughout the craziness in the movie. And when the movie does dial up the emotion, I think he holds his own.
You are absolutely right, though, the movie is a direct ripoff of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
Cami probably wants to see it for the same reason I do. To drool over Robert Downey Jr.
The hubby and his son went to see Megamind this weekend. I almost went, but opted to avoid opening weekend crowds and do laundry instead. The kid loved it, but he loves most things. Hubby hated it, because he can’t stand anything with Will Ferrel in it, even if it’s just his voice. So he went in with pre-established prejudice against the film. Otherwise he had nothing to say about it.
That’s funny that your husband hates the sound of Will Ferrell’s voice. Because I think his cadence and where he chooses to put emphasis in his line delivery is what makes him so funny to me!
At first I thought watching Bored to Death on HBO he was being over exposed, but he turns in a great performance in the show, and It’s Kind of a Funny Story was really good as well.
I remember his classic VH1 show and he had the same odd ‘off’ sense of humor he had then, he’s just more famous now.
Our Monday Night Movie group picked Megamind to see this week, and even though that seems like a re-hash in and of itself (we saw the bad-guy-turns-good motif in Despicable Me, after all), I’m glad we chose that instead of Due Date for the very same reason you pointed out. It just seems like Martin/Candy all over again, if with a little added urgency of needing to get home for a childbirth rather than a holiday meal.
That said, I loved the “Check yourself” quote. ZG excels at portraying characters that take themselves far too seriously – that comes across in his stand-up as well, and he’s pitch-perfect in those roles.
I love the Jack Black comparison, but I think Jonah Hill may be a little more apt. Both Jonah and Zack seemed to have come out of nowhere (Black had been around alittle while with Tenacious D), and they’ve both suffered from the “Too Much, Too Similar, Too Soon” syndrome. I’d love to see him in a serious role, if only to see how he would do, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen anytime soon….
I saw Megamind this weekend, it was actually really good. It’s not the best Dreamworks movie I’ve seen (How to Train your Dragon) but it was a lot less silly then most of them and it makes it better.
I saw Megamind this weekend and thought it was boring. I had a better time watching the kids sitting next to me, asking their dad, “Can we go now?” 🙂
Watched Due Date earlier tonight, and wasn’t too impressed. Not really that disappointed either, since watching the trailers (which give away a fair number of the good gags) I knew what to expect. Much like Red (and, I suspect, Megamind), It was an enjoyable time at the movies, but pretty forgettable once I walked out and kind of a waste with that excellent cast (and to be fair, Downey, Jr. and Galifinakis worked well together).
One movie I also watched was Monsters, and that was outright excellent. It’s one of those limited release deals so it may be tricky to find a theater playing it, but it’s definitely worth the effort to go and see.
ZG played a geeky mortician in the TV show “Tru Calling”, and he played that role fairly straight. In fact, that was the first thing I saw him in, and I found it really strange when he played such weird characters in everything else.
Holy crap! He was in that. Granted I didn’t watch that many episodes, but now that you mention it, I do remember him. Almost makes me want to go back and Netflix an episode or two, but I probably won’t.
The movie I always point to when people say Galifianakis is doing the same thing over and over again with his roles is Visioneers. That’s the kind of movie he needs to be making, which is what I think It’s Kind of a Funny Story will be like. He can make movies like The Hangover and Due Date, but he should really focus on those more understated indie films where he excels.
ZG annoys me. I saw him the first time live and I thought he was awful, and downright annoying. I avoid anything he’s in. I might give “A kinda funny story” a try, as he does look dialed down in that, and I’m an optimist.
I did however see MegaMind, and I thought it was a good, enjoyable entertaining film. Not as good as How to Train Your Dragon, but I think that one will be difficult to beat for a while. Megamind doesn’t patronize its audience, it has laughs and emotion, and the greatest achievement is the ending is in fact the best part. I think for any movie that has many plot elements advanced by action, the ending action scenes should be the best action scenes. Yet many of late (see recent Indy Jones as an example) have the best action scene be the opening scene.
Someone stole my name! Can I still use it? Guess we’ll find out.
I haven’t seen either, but I want to see both. The “you better check yourself” line made me cover my face with my hand, mostly because I say that when I’m TRYING to be incredibly lame, and I don’t want people to think I’m copying this guy. I’m copying my parents, I swear.
Megamind seems like an animated Dr. Horrible. Badguy sucks at being bad, douchey good guy…. I’m going to guess (hope?) it has a better ending.
Dude, I think the ending to Dr. Horrible was great!
Better as in happier, and I say hope because depressed kids are no fun.