The morning after a big night out could possibly be one of the most painful experiences at university. So Due Date is the perfect movie that’s sure to make you laugh, feel-good, and then hopefully, make that hangover just a little bit better.
It’s a familiar scene – it’s nearly closing time at the club and you’re feeling pretty good. A friend offers to buy you another drink, but you’re quite sure you’ll pay for this one in the morning. Should I? Should I not? An internal battle ensues, but by this point your friend is already handing the money to the bartender, and the drink is already planning its route through you. “Oh go on then, let’s have a good night, I’m sure it’ll be fine in the morning.”
Boom. Morning comes around and you wake up to a pounding in your head and the sinking feeling of regret. You spend an hour or so rolling around in bed, curling up in a ball, moaning in pain, and feeling pretty lousy. You look to your desk, see the piles of work that needs to be done and think, “Yeah, it’s just not happening today.” A film in bed is the perfect way to spend an afternoon in on a day like this, specifically, Due Date.
An uptight architect and a slightly overweight wannabe actor travelling across America provide the perfect recipe for a pretty comical movie. Robert Downey, Jr. (another reason to watch this movie: RDJ just looks so ruggedly handsome throughout; he definitely helped make me feel better) plays Peter Highman, the architect with a bad temper heading back to Atlanta to make it in time for the birth of his first child.
At the airport, he meets Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), a budding thespian heading to Hollywood in the hopes of making it big. After various mishaps involving airport security, the duo end up in a small rental car together, journeying across the country.
It’s the surprises and curveballs that’ll have you laughing and make that headache lighten up. The disasters range from having to dash across the Mexican border, to having Ethan fall asleep while driving and the car crashing off the side of the highway. You feel bad for poor Peter (he suffers so many injuries and loses so much it’s hard to keep track), but it definitely won’t stop you from laughing and might even make your hangover not feel so bad in comparison.
The chemistry between the two actors is comedy gold. Downey, Jr. has amazing comedic timing in his dialogue, and Galifianakis, well, even though he’s been played the loser card in this movie again, most of his lines will have you in stitches (“Dad…you were like a father to me”).
You get the best of both: Downey Jr.’s character is intense, and Galifianakis’ is quirky; the combination of the two providing for a lot of fun scenes of banter exchange, and it’s also really interesting to see their relationship evolve throughout.
A typical suggestion for a hangover would be, well, erm, The Hangover: a great feel-good movie that basically summarises the way you feel when you wake up from the enticement of inebriation and attempt to recall the previous twelve hours. Instead of the immediately obvious, Due Date gives us an excellent alternative, especially if we don’t want to look at or even think about alcohol the following day.
If you enjoyed The Hangover, then you’ll definitely love Due Date. Not only does it feature Galifianakis (remember his satchel?) in yet another hysterical leading role, but also sees the return of Todd Philips and his production team who brought us The Hangover.
There are even scenes that are bound to warm your heart – when Peter tries to kiss Ethan and says “I love you” for helping him bust out of Mexico, for example. It’s such an undeniably “aww” moment, with the bromance that develops definitely making this film a jovial one.
So if you’re looking for a film to make that morning after just a little more bearable, I’d suggest you curl up with a nice cup of tea in bed and watch Due Date, before it’s too late.
Where Can I Watch It?
Available through Amazon Instant and LOVEFiLM by Post, you can also watch Due Date by buying it cheaply through DVD and Blu-ray retailers, both online and in stores.
Lian Selby
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