7 Reasons Why Due Date (2010) Wasn't Really a Good Film

Due Date wasn't really a good film. Because ...

1- Chemistry: Let's face it, most of us didn't like it in high school. Those of us who did, utilised it well enough to carve a good life out of it. Not jealous one bit. But, it is unanimously accepted that it is an integral part of films. No chemistry and your disbelief's suspension extends beyond acceptable limits. Due Date lacked chemistry between two actors, who are independently at the top of their game. Neither their enmity, nor their fundamental differences communicated well because of that. As for when they become best buds … awkward!

Due Date (2010)

Due Date is not an enjoyable movie, and for a comedy that’s a huge problem. Essentially a Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) re-hash, the film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Peter Highman, an uptight, soon-to-be family man traveling cross country with an overweight oaf named Ethan Tremblay, and played by Zach Galifianakis. There are no trains involved, but you’ll find many of the same jokes and stabs at masculine endearment, as well as the jerk-idiot dynamic most recently updated in Dinner for Schmucks (2010). But the story’s familiarity and repetitive nature are problems good movies can overcome… and Due Date doesn’t.

It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)

It’s Kind of a Funny Story IS kind of funny, and kind of inspired, and mostly kind of good. A Cukoo’s Nest for teens, the movie tells the story of Craig, a stressed out high school student who thinks he’s suicidal, so he checks himself into a mental ward and learns how much he has to live for. Yes, it is that cheesy, and yes it takes all the easy outs you’d think this scenario would offer, but ultimately Craig’s story is earnest, a cinematic hug for those working through a seemingly universal teenage depression. It’s easy to forgive a film its clichés if it means well, if it takes pride in them, levies them to build something bigger and more important – cliché’s, after all, often translate into honesty. Funny Story could have been transcendental. That it never finds the spirit to be so is ultimately kind of a let down.

Dinner for Schmucks (2010)

After viewing director Jay Roach’s Dinner for Schmucks, The Movie Gal dubbed the comedy “the most bipolar movie” she’d ever seen, and that essentially sums it up – Schmucks is hilariously malicious, the kind of film that beats its characters to a pulp, then points its finger and laughs. You’re supposed to be laughing too, but you may also find yourself shying away, averting your eyes while Schmucks continues to elbow you in the ribs, and laugh obnoxiously in your ear.

It’s an awkward and manipulative comedy style that star Steve Carell is quite familiar with, having traversed these volatile comedic waters in The 40 Year Old Virgin and the earlier seasons of The Office. And quite frankly, it is a brand that suits him well. Carell has a unique knack for empathetic, erstwhile annoyance. He’s the kind of man who can play an absolute idiot, and still manage to keep you on his side. And that’s exactly what he needed to do to make Schmucks a winner.