New Release: Due Date

My love of Robert Downey Jr. is well documented here.  And I enjoyed  The Hangover last year, though can't say I loved Zack Galifiankis (aka Beardo - I think Rachel started calling him that on a past episode of Reel Insight, but I can't be sure, but it stuck) who is RDJ's costar in Due Date.  While they should have just come out and said it was a modern version of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, since most of the travel issues, from not being able to take a plane to sharing a rental car are nearly identical.  However, for me, that's where the positive comparison ends.  This was such a missed opportunity to make RDJ the straight man to Beardo's bumbling, but heartfelt, idiot.  RDJ is MUCH funnier than this movie ever lets him be.  Steve Martin was the funny man to John Candy's bumbling, but heartfelt, nice guy, and they created comedy TOGETHER.  Due Date hits that mark only a very few times, instead relying on gross-out humor (a dog masturbating, really?) and Beardo's effeminate walk for laughs.  The screenplay is really uneven, never really knowing where the story is going to turn, and then all of sudden, after getting high together, RDJ, who previously (and rightly) hated Beardo, suddenly loves him.  Then there are the myriad ways they break the law or their bodies and just get away with it, and nothing negative ever follows them around, beyond a single broken arm.  They "accidentally" drive into Mexico, and get detained.  Beardo walks away, and RDJ is in a trailer being questioned (still stoned) that Beardo rips off the stand and drives away with, but the police just stop chasing them? Odd.  And, RDJ gets shot, and still manages to drive 300 miles without bleeding to death.  What a great immune system?   Okay, those are most of the major rants and problems I had with this movie.  By the end, most of them didn't bother me much - you kind of like Beardo, RDJ has finally figured out how to be funny again, and it's an "aw shucks" moment when they're friends now.  Overall, didn't like it, and was definitely disappointed, but probably moreso from high expectations.  2 of 5 stars/lambs