Don’t rush on that Due Date

As you patrol the island of Maui for a dash of entertainment, you may find yourself in the thick of one of our winter rainstorms.

Don’t fret! There are dozens of movie theaters around the island full of every big screen feature you could possibly desire.

One recent release that you may enjoy is Due Date, an outlandish comedy featuring Robert Downey, Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan, and Juliette Lewis.

The cast of characters is stellar, and the writing is clever (albeit over-the-top). You are guaranteed to be on the edge of your seat on a rollercoaster of adventure, emotion, and hysterics. (Whether you enjoy being pulled in all of these directions, however, is another story altogether, and entirely up to you).

We enter with Downey’s character, Peter Highman (oh, the blatant irony) in a race to get back to LA from Atlanta for the birth of his first child. After a bumbling passenger, Ethan Tremblay, switches luggage with him and gets them both kicked off the plane, (sans wallet), Highman has no choice but to become a passenger in Ethan’s rent-a-car from hell.

In one over-the-top antic after another, the duo face certain destruction at every point along their path. From getting beat up by a wheelchair-bound veteran, to staging a daring escape from a Mexican border crossing, you won’t know whether to laugh, cry or cringe.

Fear not, you’re sure to leave the theatre thoroughly entertained, if not overwhelmed by the implausibility of the shenanigans. On the up side, you will certainly learn a heart-opening lesson or two along the way, and get zapped with a whole lot of gratitude for the grace and ease of your own life.

As usual, Downey Jr’s charm and charisma assists in his uncanny ability to take any genre, any level of absurdity, and make it palatable.

Next time you’ve got the rainy day blues here in Maui, just bop into a local theatre, catch a flick, and it’s nearly guaranteed that by the time you come out, the skies will be clear again.

Article brought to you by local entertainer, Maesyn (www.myspace.com/maesyn)

*if you have any suggestions for local entertainment articles, please email maesyn@gmail.com

Aloha!