Due Date is this week's most ridiculous movie trailer

Categories: Film

due-date-poster_325x476.jpg
​Making a movie starring Zach Galifainakis and Robert Downey Jr. is kind of like making Jell-O: The result is awesome, and it's pretty difficult to fuck up. And sure enough, for about its first half, the trailer for Due Date makes the movie look like what it should be: a laid-back, occasionally dark, occasionally silly comedy of social alienation and redemption -- and that may very well be what the movie is. The trailer, though, by its second half, might as well be Michael Bay's 90-minute comedy adaptation of a Velvet Revolver promo video.

To be fair, the first 40 seconds of this trailer are brilliant, and you've really got to hand it to whoever put it together for letting that first quiet joke play out for almost a third of the trailer's full length. Then the generic rock music comes in -- and, oh, surprise! -- there's where it cuts out for a one-liner. The one-liners are strong, certainly (again, Zach Galifainakis and Robert Downer Jr. are both awesome), and yeah, the old cut-the-music trick is a time-tested one, but really. At a certain point, this trailer just becomes an exercise in how many times you can cram that trick into two minutes and get away with it. And in that respect, the answer is "not that many." At least not every seven seconds, you can't.

The true moment of transcendent ridiculousness doesn't come until about 1:30, though, with a fast-cut montage so seizure-inducing it borders on sadism. Which kind of makes sense -- you'd have to be a sadist to fuck up Jell-O like this.

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Arts and Theater Newsletter: Weekly information keeping you in the know when it comes to the art and theater scene. Find out about upcoming performances, exhibitions, openings and special events.

Privacy Policy
Sign up for free stuff, news info & more!

Tools

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy