cinematic roots of: ‘Due Date’

No movie springs from a vacuum. There are always influences from past examples of the genre, from the previous work of the filmmakers and stars, even from similar films that don’t quite work. If you want to understand where a movie is coming from, take a look at where it’s coming from.

In Due Date, odd couple Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis try to drive from Atlanta to Los Angeles without killing each other. This flick sprang from (among other films):

• Midnight Run (1988), one of the funniest movies ever made, and a clear inspiration for Date, in which bounty hunter Robert DeNiro and on-the-lam mob accountant Charles Grodin journey from New York to Los Angeles via every method of travel imaginable.

• Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), for more classic comedic travel, featuring Steve Martin and John Candy as the on-the-road misfits.

• Road Trip (2000), for more from director Todd Phillips; this comedy is about hitting the road over sexual jealousy when a high-school romance becomes a long-distance college relationship.

• Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005), for more of Robert Downey Jr. in his funny mode; in this brilliant flick, his wannabe actor teams up with a private eye in order to research a role; it also pairs him up with his Due Date wife, Michelle Monaghan.