Robert Downey Jr. has made a career out of being a loveable jerk. One has to only look at his work in films like Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man 1 and 2, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and even his personal life to see that his knack for playing a cool bastard is remarkable. He’s very much the zippy, well-dressed, theatre jock you hated in high school. Downey does something a bit different in this film though, extracting all the warmth out of this incarnation leaving for display a miserable character that not even this talented actor’s charm can overcome.

Due Date is a road film in which soon-to-be father Peter (Downey Jr.) encounters bizarre and eccentric Ethan (Zack Galifianakis), which results in Peter being placed on the no-fly list with only five days counting until the birth of his first-born. With seemingly no other options, Peter enlists Ethan’s help in returning back to his wife. The two embark on a cross-country journey filled with betrayals, pot smoking (what’s a road movie without?), Jamie Foxx phoning in another performance, and a shimmer of brilliance from Mr. Galifianakis.

Todd Phillips, the writer/director of Old School and The Hangover, tries to re-spark some of the magic that made those films successful; he gives us a mix of quirky characters and situations and allows them to generate the comedy, or in this case the lack thereof. For some reason Phillips just can’t seem to fully flesh out his characters this time and it’s hard to latch onto any of the leads in Due Date. What this film is missing, something that was present in Phillips’ earlier efforts, is heart; just a bit would help to offset the general meanness of this film, and believe me this film is downright evil.

In fact, if it weren’t for mean spirited, this film would have no spirit at all. Downey Jr., in possibly his most devious role ever as he plays a blazing prick of epic proportions, goes as so far as to spit in a dog’s face in one scene while in another he mentions the desire to murder a baby in it’s crib despite his goal of reaching his first-born before he hatches. The script is so downright dripping with hate that it smothers and suffocates anything that could be construed as funny. What we are left with, as an audience, is a series of increasingly unfunny and malicious scenes that actually make you feel guilty for not saving Ethan from Peter’s constant barrage of acid laced barbs.

In another scene that fails to find the humor in the unfortunate, Ethan’s father’s ashes are mistaken for coffee grounds, drank, and then spilled onto the floor. No Robert DeNiro here to provide a great reaction to a cremation gag—we simply watch Ethan sweeping up

his father’s remains. If this is supposed to be funny then consider your nearest funeral parlor The Comedy Store.

Not all is so cringe inducing though. Zack Galifianakis, who this reviewer believes will be Oscar-nominated within five years, continues to show why he is getting so much work in Hollywood these days. His offbeat brand of humor is unique and refreshing and although he has done better work elsewhere (particularly Bored to Death, and Between Two Ferns) his portrayal of the highly nuanced Ethan is at times entertaining. Unfortunately, not everyone is deserving of praise in this film. Jamie Foxx shows up for a couple minutes and it’s one of those performances where you ask yourself “why is he here at all?” With all the various weirdoes in this movie Jamie Foxx shows up to play, well, Jamie Foxx. His entire role in the film feels like it was slipped in the last minute to play upon the “what if the baby comes out black” bit that has been wrung dry countless times in film and on TV.

It’s a low point in the film and it becomes clear that Phillips and his creative team are grasping at frail strands on the comedy quilt trying desperately to gain traction. A scene with a dog performing an act so ridiculous that it even crosses the boundaries of this nonsensical exercise in script writing really helps to put the kibosh on this one. Lets hope Phillips learned something from this movie: how not to make The Hangover 2. These days, debauchery is a cornerstone of comedy, and that’s fine. When it’s done right, as in The Hangover, the results can be hilarious. When it’s done wrong, as in here, you are left with a searing piece of viciousness that not even Hollywood’s Ironman can save.

You will get very little mileage out of the Blu-ray extras, the additional scenes and gag reel will give you some chuckles, but the best segment is the full scene of Ethan guest starring on Two and a Half Men in case you needed a tiger blood transfusion.