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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Due Date (Film)

by Sophie Ly | November 23, 2010 12:36 | Edited November 23, 2010 12:37

While it offers a few laughs, this disappointing road trip is marred by sluggish pacing and characters difficult to embrace.

The anticipated follow up to Todd Phillips' huge hit The Hangover, Due Date unfortunately falls flat despite being led by two capable actors. A road-trip comedy, its humour rests largely on the clashing personalities of its leads but is let down by the exaggerated nature of both characters.

 

Trying to get back to his heavily pregnant wife (Michelle Monaghan) in Los Angeles from the other side of the country, highly-strung Peter Highmore (Robert Downey Jr.) is placed on the no-fly list after an encounter with the dim aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis). With no money or ID, Peter is forced to drive cross-country with Ethan in order to make it back in time for the impending birth of his first child.

 

Although both Downey Jr. and Galifianakis give strong performances, it takes too long to truly warm to their characters. Even though Peter is painted as the rational one of the mismatched pair, it's hard to relate to someone so straight-laced and grumpy. Galifianakis is right in his zone playing another eccentric character but his Ethan is too in-your-face. While the film raises a few genuine chuckles - and there's noteworthy cameos including Juliette Lewis as a drug-dealing mum - there are too many cheap gags.

 

Due Date is also let down by its pacing - which makes it feel longer than it actually is; that said, the narrative does pick up in the latter half with an outlandish but entertaining car chase and a handful of surprisingly poignant moments.