Robert Downey Jr.'s Underrated Road Trip Comedy Is A Netflix Hit 16 Years Later

Published Jul 19, 2026, 11:22 AM EDT Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie & TV News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay. An underrated Robert Downey Jr. movie is finding an audience on Netflix. Iron Man and the MCU have dominated much of Downey Jr.'s career since 2008, and he's now set to make his triumphant return to the franchise as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled to release on December 18. Outside of his time in the world of superheroes, Downey Jr. has starred as Sherlock Holmes in two films, and he recently had a prominent role in Oppenheimer (2023). He has also starred in a handful of comedies, and a 2010 road trip comedy is now rising on streaming. Following its release 16 years ago, Due Date is now excelling on Netflix. As of writing, the film stands as the ninth most popular movie on the streamer worldwide, coming in ahead of Ikka (2026). Due Date has made the top 10 in a number of countries globally, including Argentina, Australia, Ireland, Mexico, France, Peru, and the U.K. While the road trip comedy isn't streaming on Netflix in the U.S., it is available for rental and purchase on Apple TV and Fandango at Home. Directed by Todd Phillips, Due Date stars Downey Jr. as Peter Highman, a father-to-be who is forced to hitch a ride with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) in order to be present for his child's birth. Written by Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, and Adam Sztykiel, the movie also stars Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan, Danny McBride, and Juliette Lewis. Compared to Tropic Thunder, which earned fairly positive reviews across the board, Due Date was met with a lackluster critical reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has only a 39% critics' score, with the audience score more mixed at 52%. It didn't help that the road trip comedy marked Phillips' anticipated follow-up to The Hangover (2009), which became a cultural phenomenon. In the years since, however, Due Date has become something of an underrated gem, especially since theatrical comedies are now a rarity. Commercially, the Downey Jr. movie was still a success. Made on a budget of $65 million, Due Date grossed about $211 million worldwide. While paling in comparison to The Hangover's $468 million, the film did find an audience at the time. In terms of Downey Jr.'s career, Due Date remains an outlier. Though the Iron Man actor is renowned for bringing wit and humor to characters in many of his movies, Due Date is one of the only pure comedies he's made in the past two decades, with the only other notable entry being 2008's Tropic Thunder. It remains to be seen whether Due Date will continue to rise up the Netflix charts in the weeks ahead, but the film's streaming success speaks to Downey Jr.'s continued power as a movie star. Though he continues to play an integral role in the MCU, the success of his 2010 road trip comedy suggests he should consider a return to pure another comedy in the future. Release Date November 4, 2010 Runtime 95minutes Director Todd Phillips Writers Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykiel