Movie review: ‘Due Date’

John Hughes did it better.

I say that because it is nearly impossible to watch “Due Date,” the new comedy from “The Hangover” filmmaking phenom Todd Phillips and not be hit by a wave of nostalgia for the far better “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”

Since Phillips and crew never mention “Planes, Trains, etc.” as either inspiration or reference point, I can only assume they either missed it — although with cable and all kinds of handy film reference guides, that hardly seems possible — or they’re counting on the generational divide to keep comparisons at bay. Fat chance.

Since there is no train on this road trip starring Zach Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr. as strangers thrown together by happenstance and a Homeland Security infraction, there’s more auto action, much of it the monster-truck-rally sort. Still, at times it feels as if little more than the names have been changed. This is a disappointing turn coming from Phillips, particularly since “The Hangover” was such a fresh, bracing brew of black comic fun.

Granted, it’s tough to hit it out of the park when you’re starting with such a familiar premise (though remakes, sequels and the like are a bad habit that Hollywood in general can’t seem to break). Or maybe Phillips would argue he’s just repeating himself, doing a more grown-up version of his first feature film, 2000’s “Road Trip,” which had some of the frat-house vibe he perfected quite nicely a few years later in “Old School.”

Whatever the starting point, screenwriters Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland and Adam Sztykiel & Phillips, never quite pull it off here as our mismatched pair fight and fuss their way from Atlanta to Los Angeles. There are laughs, yes, but the sweetness and soft heart that made the John Candy- Steve Martin Thanksgiving journey all warm and cozy has gone missing.

As Ethan Tremblay, Galifianakis once again draws the loser card that he’s been playing since he sat down at the table last summer in “The Hangover.” Tremblay is a wannabe actor on his way to Hollywood with scoring pot as his raison d’être and a vague plan to scatter his dad’s ashes at the Grand Canyon en route. He’s got a man-perm, carries a man-purse and has a French bulldog named Sonny as a sidekick, so the character is tailor-made for the comic’s eccentric brand of humor.

His opposite number is Downey as Peter Highman, a name that will provide the film its final, “sounds like,” R-rated punch line (with the “The Hangover” guys, nothing is accidental). That comes right after another gag with racial overtones — so misogyny and racism, how funny is that?

Peter is an A-type business guy desperate to get home for the birth of his child, although, honestly, if it was your firstborn, would you leave town if you didn’t have to (he didn’t) with your wife only days from delivery? Over the years, the usually excellent Downey has made an art out of the arch, which gives even the most despicable character he takes on some redeeming qualities. But in “Due Date,” he struggles to unearth any inner goodness in Peter — tough to do when he’s expected to get laughs by spitting at a dog.

What fun there is to be found is tied to the friction of the bumps along the way. There are problem people to deal with, primarily in the form of an Alabama back-country premium pot-seller played by Juliette Lewis, another off-the-grid character of the type she’s favoring these days, and Jamie Foxx as an ex-football superstar and close friend of Peter’s, perhaps even closer (hint, hint) to the pregnant missus ( Michelle Monaghan).

There are a lot of ramped-up action bits, including a mad dash across the Mexican border that should satisfy any metal-crushing, car-chasing fever thanks to director of photography Lawrence Sher (another “Hangover” buddy). And there are a series of increasingly serious mishaps with Peter lucky to get away with his life, but, frankly, he’s such a pill it’s tough to care.

Downey’s dilemma is really what keeps tripping up the entire film. A movie like this isn’t just about getting from Point A to Point B; it should also be about the journey — as in, how do these characters evolve? Peter and Ethan have plenty of “ha-ha” moments, but there are no “ahas” to be found. When the trip finally ends, you find they really haven’t gone anywhere at all.

betsy.sharkey@latimes.com