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I think that Due Date operates under the main premise that the viewer has never heard of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, for if they had, they'd be wondering why they were watching the same movie with all the jokes stripped out. Due Date is, in total, neither a terrible nor an offensive film. Its problem is that it's a little too bitter, thus eliminating with surgical precision any empathy we might have for its two protagonists. It's a road trip with an obvious end in sight and somewhat unpredictable wacky hijinks in between. You could do worse, but you could do much better.

Peter Highman (Robert Downey, Jr.) is an architect who's attempting to fly out of Atlanta back home to Los Angeles to be with his wife Michelle Monaghan, who's about to give birth. But thanks to a bag mixup with a fellow traveler named Ethan Trembley (Zach Galifianakis), Peter finds himself stranded in Atlanta, placed on the national No Fly list (minor misunderstanding, of course). Ethan offers him a cross-country ride in his rental, and off we go.

The movie uses the trope of mismatched people enduring a common experience. Peter is uptight, dithering endlessly about what to name his newborn. Ethan is, well, flighty. In fact, Galifianakis seems to be playing the same character he played in the two Hangover films: childlike, maybe psychopathic and/or sociopathic, not all there. He's wildly misinformed about such things as the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam, but he is heading west to try to make it as an actor in Hollywood. Oh, and did I mention he's carrying the ashes of his deceased father in a coffee can to dispose of along the way? Well, there's that, too.

You and I both know that there's no way Peter and Ethan will make it from Georgia to California without any problems. But Peter has no choice - his wallet was confiscated at the airport, and his bags are on their way to LA. He has no cash and no ID. It could happen to anyone. So he's essentially at Ethan's mercy. Along the way, we learn much about the characters and what makes them tick, but whereas the earlier Planes, Trains got melancholy without getting maudlin, this one achieves no such feat.

Downey, Jr. and Galifianakis give it their best shot, and to tell the truth they're not bad. They make an okay team; it's just that it's a teaming we've seen before, and much better. Steve Martin and John Candy got into their share of situations that would never happen to a normal person, but they also ran into problems with which we could all relate; here, it's more of the former than the latter. It's as if the movie keeps daring itself to get weirder and weirder.

The final, near-fatal flaw of the movie is that it really doesn't give you anyone to root for - except of course at the end. It's a comedy, after all. But these guys do some rather nasty things to each other, and not in the oh-no-he-didn't sort of way, either; rather, in the scowling, almost hateful way. It's a little disconcerting at times. But the actors do their best, as I said, and you could do worse.

I only am writing this review basically to respond to the other reviews posted. While i have to admit that Due Date is not in my list of top ten movies of all time, but it seems that a majority of the other reviewers of this film are comparing it to Plains Trains and Automobiles. Which i might add is in my top 3 comedies of all time. (Huge John Candy fan) This is suppose to be a review of Due Date. Not a review of comparing Due Date to PT&A. I think it is pretty obvious that PT&A is a classic and was the type of film that comes along too few and far between and is hard to compile the amount of talent shown by two leading roles for a comparison. With that said, I can agree that Phillips' seems to be getting a little complex with his story lines (this one we have seen before) and understandably after the success of The Hangover and previous comedies this will be compared to and for the common movie goer siting down to watch Due Date with those other story lines and plots in mind will be disappointed. Once you accept the story line and look into the characters i feel RDJ and ZG make the most of there characters come to life and deliver each role quite well. Remember folks, this is a comedy. Overall i would describe Due Date as a wild road trip for two strangers with completely different personalities with some twists and turns along the way that will make you laugh. Not a great movie. But well performed and should enjoy if you go into it with the right mind set.

The critics are being pretty harsh on this film, and yet they give high praise to such films like Role Models and Get Him to the Greek, so go figure. But I had a lot fun with Due Date, It was a fun slapstick misadventure, almost what we loved about The Hangover, so it is clear to say I don't agree with the critics on this one.

Peter(Robert Downey Jr) an architect looking to get home to his pregnant wife(Michelle Monaghan) who is expecting in a week. And when he gets on a plane, he quickly gets kicked off, when he gets into an unfortunate incident with Ethan(Zach Galifianakis) a pot smoking moron, and wanna be actor, who is obsessed with the show Two and a Half Men. When Peter is looking for new ways to get home. Ethan has a car and offers to drive him. Although it is against Peters better judgment, but feeling there is no other way, he goes with him. Will Peter make it on time for his child's birth, or will Ethan drive him nuts during this?

A lot of people said this is a Plane,Trains and Automobiles ripoff, but you know what who cares. This was a funny laugh out loud film. Downey and Galifianakis have funny chemistry, they just play off each other perfectly. Like The Hangover it is one entertaining misadventure, I say don't listen to the critics, see this movie and form your own opinion.

Due Date. Me, my friend and the dog. A funny comedy about two "friends" who travel across the country with a dog. Robert Downey Jr. And Zach Galifianakis performed their roles perfectly and complemented each other.

Saw it today at an advance screening in CU.

On one hand is a businessman, Peter Highman, who's trying to take a flight to LA to meet his wife who is about to have their child. On other hand is an aspiring actor, Ethan Tremblay, trying to make it big in Hollywood. They meet at the Atlanta airport and the adventure begins.

Having being denied boarding the flight, the reason for which I won't spoil here, they are forced to take a road trip to LA. Plus there's a dog with Ethan. Peter's already regretting the decision but has no choice. The next couple of days are full of surprises neither of them is ready for.

Feeling completely out of place, Peter is harassed by endless questions and embarrassed by outrageously hilarious behavior. He has no idea he will end up from a businessman in Atlanta to a guy with ripped clothes, a broken arm, a gunshot wound with handcuffs two days later.

There's never a dull moment in this movie, even though it has a few serious moments. It brings a refreshing feel to the movies this year and will make you laugh as much as, if not more than The Hangover. RDJ as always, is brilliant with the role of the utterly frustrated businessman who would kill Ethan if it was legal to do so. Zach is, well, perfect as the plump wannabe actor who says and does inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times. Get ready for another hilarious adventure from Todd Phillips! Oh and check yourself before you wreck yourself with laughter!