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"DUE DATE" (2010) (Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Extreme Heavy Extreme Moderate Moderate Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Extreme Moderate Moderate None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Heavy Heavy Heavy QUICK TAKE: Comedy: With his wife in labor, a straight-laced father-to-be is forced to drive cross-country with a crude oddball to make it to the birth on time. PLOT: Peter (ROBERT DOWNEY JR.) wants only to fly home in time to witness the birth of his first child. But a run-in with the crude and obnoxious Ethan (ZACH GALIFIANAKIS) at the airport ends with both men being put on the government's "No-Fly" list. In the process of getting thrown off the plane they are both on, Peter also loses his wallet leaving him with no money, credit cards, or ID. His only hope is to share a ride with the apologetic Ethan from Atlanta to Los Angeles. Peter assures his wife, Sarah (MICHELLE MONAGHAN), he will be there in time for their planned C-section birth. But matters become complicated when Ethan has to stop along the way to buy marijuana from small-time dealer Heidi (JULIETTE LEWIS) for his glaucoma. The two also run afoul of a partially paralyzed Iraqi War vet (DANNY McBRIDE), the Mexican border patrol, and each other. Peter enlists the help of his friend, Darryl (JAMIE FOXX), along the way. But he comes to suspect that Darryl and Sarah may have briefly rekindled a previous physical relationship nine months earlier and that the child his wife is carrying may not be his. It all climaxes with a high-speed drive to L.A. with Ethan fighting off a bout of narcolepsy and Peter nursing an accidental gunshot wound. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Teenagers will be most likely be drawn to the film due to its funny trailer and appealing leads. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For language, drug use and sexual content. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: ROBERT DOWNEY JR. plays an uptight father-to-be who is forced to drive cross-country with a crude, unkempt man. He can be quite profane, is frequently judgmental, and is often quite violent when angered or exasperated. He becomes suspicious his wife has cheated on him with a good friend and that the child she is carrying might not be his. ZACH GALIFIANAKIS plays the crude, unkempt man who Peter is forced to travel with. He is a regular smoker of medical marijuana, claiming it is for his glaucoma. He is grieving over the death of his father and has decided to follow his bliss and try and make it as an actor in Hollywood. He is frequently inappropriate in his dealings with people. He lies often about his age. He also regularly masturbates prior to going to sleep each night and travels with a small dog that also masturbates frequently. JAMIE FOXX plays Peter's good friend, a former professional athlete who is quite wealthy. He previously had a sexual relationship with Peter's wife prior to the two of them becoming a couple. He uses profanity often. MICHELLE MONAGHAN plays Peter's pregnant wife, who is worried he might not make it back to California in time for the birth of their first child. JULIETTE LEWIS plays a marijuana dealer who sells Ethan $200 worth of pot. She is a mother of two who operates her illegal business out of her home. DANNY McBRIDE plays a violent, partially paralyzed Western Union employee and Iraqi War veteran who quickly develops an intense dislike for Peter and Ethan. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this comedy that has been rated R. Profanity consists of at least 38 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some sexually related dialogue is present, a man masturbates in a car, and part of a man's bare butt is seen. Violence consists of the two lead characters getting beaten with a baton-like weapon by an angry man in a wheelchair, one of the leads getting shot twice (once with a rubber bullet, the second time with a real bullet), and some minor fisticuffs all played to varying degrees of comic effect. A scene where an annoying child is punched in the stomach hard by an adult is also played for laughs. There is also a fairly intense car accident in the film along with a highway car chase in which multiple vehicles crash. Some of this has fairly bloody results. Bad attitudes are present throughout, as is some potentially imitative behavior and various thematic elements. There is a fairly substantial amount of marijuana smoking in the film, while tense family material is also present. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE After a brief tussle outside the airport, some of the contents of Ethan's suitcase get mixed in with Peter's bag, including a pipe used for smoking marijuana. Peter questions Ethan about whether he and the man who had been driving him had been drinking alcohol. Ethan concedes that they had downed a six pack of beer earlier in the day. Ethan confesses to smoking medicinal marijuana for his glaucoma. Ethan forces Peter to make a stop to buy marijuana from Heidi, a small-time drug dealer who operates her illegal activity out of her house. Ethan smokes pot outside of a motel. Ethan and Peter stop at a roadside store that boasts a large sign stating that the shop sells beer. After injuring his arm in a car accident, Peter is prescribed Vicodin, which he takes at least twice during the film's second half. Darryl mentions that he and Sarah got "wasted" when they ran into each other by chance in San Diego about nine months earlier. Ethan smokes marijuana while driving. To get the best possible buzz, he rolls up the car's windows and the pot smoke affects both a sleeping Peter and Ethan's dog. Peter awakes very high with hyperspace-like star streaks flying by the car's exterior. He also imagines Ethan as a large bear driving the car. A border patrolman questions Ethan and Peter on whether they have been partying and confiscates Ethan's bag of pot. While Peter is detained, the patrolman and his boss enjoy smoking the marijuana and comment on how good it is. Ethan downs a large can of an over-the-counter energy drink in order to stay awake on a long drive. BLOOD/GORE The film opens with Peter talking to his wife over the phone and relating his recent nightmare of a bear chewing on his wife's umbilical cord after their baby was born. Peter recommends to Sarah that they not name their son "Arthur" because some kids could twist it around and mock him with the word "fart." At a rest stop, Ethan declares that he needs to take a "pee-pee." Peter's nose and the corner of his mouth are bloodied after being beaten by Lonnie with a baton-like weapon. Cleaning up after the altercation, he is briefly seen spitting out blood into a sink. For the rest of the movie, his face bears the wounds from this confrontation. Ethan is shown from the back urinating in a men's bathroom urinal. No nudity. Peter's injured arm is placed in a cast and he has some facial bruising after the car he was riding in with Ethan careens off a bridge. Peter spits on Ethan's dog. Darryl unknowingly brews coffee for Ethan, Peter and himself using the ashes of Ethan's deceased father. Upon learning this, all three men spit out (spit-take style) their coffee. Ethan bleeds profusely from his nose after fighting with Peter. Peter bleeds from a gunshot wound to the leg accidentally inflicted on him by Ethan. Seeing Peter's gunshot wound, Ethan throws up on Peter's shirt and the ground. When he lifts up his head, vomit is visible on his thick beard. Peter's clothes are quite bloody as he and Ethan walk through a hospital looking for the maternity ward. After telling Peter that he got to cut the umbilical cord, Ethan adds that he has kept a piece of it in his wallet. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Throughout the film, Peter is openly hostile towards Ethan who is his polar opposite. Peter is disrespectful to an airport security worker after he discovers that some of Ethan's belongings got mixed in with the contents of his suitcase. Peter later refuses to follow the explicit orders of a federal air marshal who has identified him as an onboard threat. Peter wanders a used car lot, trying out the doors of different vehicles and contemplating stealing one of them. One of Ethan's head-shot photos depicts him posed as Malcolm X. Ethan forces Peter to make a stop to buy marijuana from Heidi, a small-time drug dealer who operates her illegal activity out of her house. One of Heidi's sons asks Peter to leave his mother and let him come on the road with him. After punching Heidi's young son in the stomach, Peter threatens more violence if the boy tells his mother. Ethan lies about his age on numerous occasions throughout the film, stating that he is 23 when we know from seeing his driver's license at one point that he was born in 1969. Peter refers to Ethan at one point as a "faggot." At one point, Ethan rages that he is not an accountant, adding, "I'm not even Jewish!" Peter makes fun of Iraqi War veteran Lonnie, calling him a "hick" and a "hillbilly" and doubting his service. Lonnie then emerges from behind his work station to reveal that he is in a wheelchair and paralyzed from the waist down as a result of injuries sustained on the battlefield. After Peter shares with Ethan the story of his father abandoning him when he was just a boy, Ethan lets out a hearty laugh and says, "My dad would never have done that! He loved me!" When Ethan goes to clean up at a rest stop, Peter removes the man's luggage and dog from their car and drives off. He eventually has a crisis of conscience and returns, but lies to Ethan that he only drove to get donuts and coffee. Peter talks to a coffee can containing Ethan's father's ashes and asks the dead man why he didn't strangle his annoying son in the crib. Peter tells Ethan that he despises him "on a cellular level." Peter spits on Ethan's dog. Peter threatens to strangle Ethan with his own scarf. Peter threatens to disembowel Ethan if he asks him one more question and rip Ethan's dog in half. Peter twice goads Darryl into driving very fast over bumps in the road, sending Ethan and his dog flying in the exposed back of Darryl's pickup truck. Peter leaves his wife a phone message, accusing her of cheating on him with his friend and questioning whether he is the father of their unborn child. Ethan wonders if Darryl, who is black, were to have a baby with Peter's wife, who is white, would it resemble one of the zebra babies like at the zoo. Ethan openly lies to a Mexican border patrolman. Ethan steals a border patrol security vehicle, towing a trailer with Peter in it. He crashes through a border fence and leads the authorities on a manic chase in which he causes multiple accidents. We learn that Ethan has secretly had Peter's wallet the whole time they have been traveling together, complete with his cash, credit cards, and driver's license. FRIGHTENING SCENES Ethan takes his eyes off the road for several seconds, and the vehicle he is driving swerves into other lanes causing traffic around him to compensate. Ethan falls asleep at the wheel, loses control of the rental car he is driving, and the vehicle careens through a crew doing roadwork -- nobody gets hurt -- and off a bridge. Ethan accidentally shoots Peter in the leg. GUNS/WEAPONS An air marshal pulls a gun on Peter and eventually shoots him with a rubber bullet. Ethan shows Peter some of the head-shots he has had made up to promote his acting career, and several of the photos show him posed with guns. Lonnie uses a baton-like weapon to beat up both Peter and Ethan. Border patrol officers are shown with holstered firearms. Ethan pulls a gun out of a stolen vehicle's glove compartment and accidentally shoots Peter in the leg. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "F*ck," "F*ck you!" "Your dad didn't know what the f*ck he was talking about," "You a funky m*therf*cker, ain't you?" "F*cking idiot," "You're f*cking scary," "F*cking jerk-offs," "What the f*ck /is this?" "It's your f*cking stage name," "What are you? My f*cking boss?" "You f*cking hick," "It's been a f*cking pleasure," "I don't know how or why you didn't just strangle him in the f*cking crib!" "There is no f*cking way!" "You were like a f*cking commando!" "That's some f*cked-up sh*t," "That ain't sh*t," "Dipsh*t," "That bat-faced piece of sh*t," "He looks sad as sh*t," "This is serious sh*t," "Oh sh*t!" "It's just my sh*t," "Dad liked women's t*tties," "G*ddamn!" "G*ddamn it!" "Drop the device, asshole!" "I'm an asshole," "Son of a bitch!" "Ah, shoot!" "Keep dreaming, faggot," "A handicapped hillbilly," "This clown" and "I need to take a pee-pee." Ethan wipes his sunglasses with his shirt, briefly exposing his bare stomach. Ethan loudly warns Peter to turn off his cellphone while they sit in an airplane waiting to takeoff, announcing that terrorists often use such devices to activate bombs. Peter wanders around a rental car lot, trying out the doors of different vehicles and contemplating stealing one of them. When Peter goes to open the passenger door of Ethan's car after he convinces him to ride with him to California, Ethan steps on the gas and lurches the car forward a few feet as a goof. Ethan lies about his age on numerous occasions throughout the film. One of Heidi's sons asks Peter to leave his mother and let him come on the road with him. Peter refers to Lonnie as a "hick." Ethan falls asleep while driving and nearly kills himself and Peter. Peter spits on Ethan's dog. Peter threatens Ethan and his dog with physical harm at several points in the film. Peter twice goads Darryl into driving very fast over bumps in the road, sending Ethan and his dog flying in the exposed back of Darryl's pickup truck. Ethan talks of washing his feet once at an Internet café. Peter leaves his wife a phone message, accusing her of cheating on him with his friend and questioning whether he is the father of their unborn child. Ethan steals a border patrol security vehicle, towing a trailer with Peter in it. He crashes through a border fence and leads the authorities on a manic chase, driving recklessly at a high speed and causing multiple accidents. Ethan downs a large can of an over-the-counter energy drink in order to stay awake on a long drive. Frantic to get Peter to a Los Angeles hospital where he can see the birth of his child and treatment for a gunshot wound, Ethan drives fast and erratically from the Arizona desert. At one point, Ethan falls asleep again at the wheel and Peter immediately kicks him from the backseat. JUMP SCENES When Peter opens the door of the limo that he rode in to the airport, a car that Ethan has been traveling in comes out of nowhere and slams into the open door, knocking it off. Ethan falls asleep at the wheel and eventually loses control of his vehicle, with the car smashing through multiple roadside signs, almost killing several municipal workers before careening off a bridge. While parked, Ethan pulls a gun out of a vehicle's glove apartment and accidentally fires it, hitting Peter in the leg in the driver's seat. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A moderate amount of tense music occurs throughout the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 35 "f" words (1 used with "mother"), 9 "s" words, 1 slang term for breasts used three times in the film ("t*tties"), 3 asses (2 used with "hole"), 2 hells, 2 S.O.B.s, 3 uses of "G-damn," 2 uses each of "Oh my God" and "Oh God," and 1 use each of "Oh Christ" and "Oh God." SEX/NUDITY Ethan wipes his sunglasses with his shirt, briefly exposing his bare stomach. In trying to stuff his suitcase into an overhead airplane compartment, Ethan exposes his hairy belly just a few inches from Peter's face. Ethan is then nudged, forcing his bare stomach into Peter's face. Ethan shares with Peter that he lost his virginity at age 9. Ethan says that one of the worst mistakes he ever made was once eating a corndog at a nude beach. Peter and Ethan are forced to sleep in their rental car at one point. Peter awakens to find Ethan in the passenger seat next to him masturbating. There is no nudity, but we see Ethan using his hand furiously in a repetitive, up-and-down motion. He even adjusts his legs to get more comfortable. Ethan tells him that he can only get to sleep by relieving himself in this way, adding that his dog is the same way. Peter then looks over to the dog in the backseat, and the dog is also masturbating with one paw stroking his exposed animal genitalia. The next morning, Ethan talks of the "glorious orgasm" he had. Ethan fondly recalls his late father as loving women's "t*tties." Peter tells Darryl of Ethan's masturbatory habits, referring to the act as "beating off." Darryl asks Peter why he would want to ruin his wife's flawless body by having her get a C-section. It is revealed that Darryl previously had a sexual relationship with Peter's wife before they became a couple. Ethan asks Darryl if he and Peter's wife ever shared body fluids and/or "ejaculate." When Ethan cries over his father's spilled ashes, we briefly get a glimpse at him from behind and see that his pants have slid down his waist to reveal a good portion of his bare buttocks. Peter leaves his wife a phone message, accusing her of cheating on him with his friend and questioning whether he is the father of their unborn child. Ethan says to Sarah in the delivery room, "Let's get that baby out of your vagina." SMOKING While there is no cigarette or pipe smoking, Ethan smokes marijuana on at least four occasions during the film. There is much discussion about pot. TENSE FAMILY SCENES The entire film centers around Peter being separated from his pregnant wife who is about to give birth to their first child, and his struggles to travel cross-country to be there for the birth. Ethan grieves his dead father throughout the movie and travels with the man's ashes in a coffee can. Later, Darryl unknowingly brews coffee for Ethan, Peter and himself using the ashes of Ethan's deceased father. Upon learning this, all three men spit out (spit-take style) their coffee. One of Heidi's sons asks Peter to let him come on the road with him. Ethan performs an acting exercise with Peter that soon becomes a tearful regret that his father has recently died and left him all alone. Peter shares with Ethan that his father left him and his mother when he was 7 in 1977 and has not seen him since. Peter leaves a message on his wife's voicemail accusing her of having sex with their mutual friend, Darryl, and carrying his child. Peter later apologizes to Sarah profusely when she tearfully tells him she would never cheat on him. Peter passes out from loss of blood in the delivery room, forcing Sarah to give birth without him. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Marijuana use, medicinal and otherwise. Terrorism fears on airplanes. Government "No Fly" lists. Death of a parent. Child abandonment. VIOLENCE When Peter opens the door of the limo that he rode in to the airport, a car that Ethan has been traveling in slams into the open door and knocks it off. Heidi's son throws a TV remote control at Peter, hitting him in the face. He then proceeds to yank Peter's tie numerous times. Fed up with the kid, Peter punches him hard in the stomach. Peter then threatens the kid with additional violence if the boy tells his mother. Lonnie uses a baton-like weapon to beat Peter and Ethan up, hitting them with surprising force and regularity on the legs, torso, head, and face despite being confined to a wheelchair. Ethan falls asleep at the wheel while driving, causing the vehicle he and Peter are riding in to crash through roadwork, nearly killing several workers, before careening off a bridge and landing hard on the next highway below. Peter threatens to strangle Ethan with his own scarf. Peter threatens to disembowel Ethan if he asks him one more question and rip Ethan's dog in half. Peter twice goads Darryl into driving very fast over bumps in the road, sending Ethan and his dog flying in the exposed back of Darryl's pickup truck and landing hard. Ethan steals a border patrol security vehicle, towing a trailer with Peter in it. He crashes through a border fence and leads the authorities on a manic chase in which he causes multiple accidents. Angered that Ethan has had his wallet the whole time, Peter slams Ethan's head against a vehicle, manhandles him for a few seconds, and the two briefly tussle. Ethan accidentally shoots Peter in the leg with a gun he finds in a stolen vehicle's glove compartment. In a panic, Ethan starts running in an out-of-control fashion, slams hard into an open car door, and knocks it completely off its hinges. At one point, Ethan falls asleep again at the wheel and Peter immediately kicks him from the backseat. Reviewed November 1, 2010 / Posted November 5, 2010

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