Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Expectant father Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) is flying home from Atlanta in order to bear witness to the birth of his first child. When he encounters Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), a socially retarded wannabe actor at the airport, things get off on the wrong foot when they inadvertently exchange bags and Peter gets stopped in security for carrying drug paraphernalia. Sadly, that's the highlight of his trip because he's soon kicked off the plane, put on the no-fly list, and is forced to take a cross-country car trip with the man responsible for his troubles.

My expectations were pretty low going into this, and for good reason. The trailers made it look like a complete rip-off of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and unfortunately it isn't as funny as the classic John Candy/Steve Martin movie. The first act sets up the scenario pretty well, but then it quickly falls apart when the two protagonists hit the road.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
• Outstanding detail
• Reference-quality contrast
• Inky blacks
• Natural flesh tones

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Bass-heavy soundtrack
• Realistic ambience
• Intelligible dialog

Warner has delivered some outstanding video encodes the past few months, and here's another excellent rendering of a 2010 movie release. Black levels are inky and inviting and the image draws you in with its reference-quality contrast. The DTS-HD MA track is no slouch either, but it doesn't measure-up to the nearly perfect video.

Bonus Materials br>

• Complete Two and a Half Men scene with Ethan Tremblay
• Deleted Scenes
• Due Date Qction mash-up
• Due Date Too Many Questions mash-up
• Gag Reel
• DVD & Digital Copy

While it has its moments, this isn't a very funny film. There are long stretched in between the laughs and it drags to the predictable ending. Director Todd Phillips hit a homerun with The Hangover, but in his follow-up effort he strikes out looking.

Release Date: February 22, 2011
Studio: Warner

Movie: 4/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS40 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Integra DTC-80.2 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PVA-PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics