Due Date

For the most part, I enjoy most films by Todd Phillips. He puts out decent comedies that sometimes bring something different to the table and they are also memorable for a lot reasons. Due Date is kind of like that. It did have promise and could been something more than it is. It is not terrible at all but it could been better and I think it was one of the biggest disappointments of the year 2010.

With a similar set up to the film Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Due Date is about Pete Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) who is on his way to Los Angles to witness the birth of his first son. Due to an altercation with a guy named Ethan (Zach Galifianakis) on his fight, they are both removed. As they are both trying to get California, they decide to go together but as usual the outcome is not what they want.

The film's lack of originality brings it down a step down and frankly it is not the most exciting movie out there. At times, there isn't much to the movie and it is very unrealistic in places. I didn't know you could drive to Los Angeles with a stolen Homeland Security truck without getting arrested in the end. With unrealistic ideas, we also have "unrealistic" characters who emerge unhurt from major incidents like cars flipping over.

That said, the main point of a comedy is to make people laugh. That is exactly the opposite of what the film does and the main point why this film is subpar. 

Due Date does have good performances from the lead actors but it really fails about everywhere else. I have sat through many films from Todd Phillips before and some I praised and some I didn't but this is the only one where mockery was appropriate.

2/5

It's Kind of a Funny Story

I came into this movie with some mixed feelings. Some people I know loved it while others hated it and this film really fell off the radar after being the theaters for a little while in 2010. For me, It's Kind of a Funny Story is not perfect but it does what it needs and I found it to be a a sweet and accurate story.

Based on a novel, the film follows a stressed teen named Craig (Keir Gilchrist) who checks into a hospital to get away from life and along the way, finds love and meets a another patient named Bobby (Zach Galifianakis) who teaches him about the world and also himself.


This has a similar feel to that of the film "Terri" with Jacob Wysocki and John Reilly playing similar roles. Zach Galifianakis and Keir Gilchrist have the same feel playing in this movie. They both have a "down to earth" feel to them combined with fine acting and without them, the film would really be nothing.

Along with two good leads, the other characters are good. They can be very hard to take at times because of  the many unrealistic things they do and also the parents of the characters aren't very helpful either but even with that, you can find a good personality to all them and they provide entertainment even considering their flaws.

Being a teenager myself, the story here is really something I could relate to. It is something that feels right at home and even the parts I couldn't relate to, I still could relate somewhat due to knowing other people involved in similar scenarios. Along with that, this movie is original and told with a lot of insight and that helps the film even more.

In end, the It's Kind of a Funny Story is really about what we want out of this world. It's message to it's teen audience is to keep fighting and do whatever you need to do, and to me that's a brilliant thing.

3.5/5