Due Date - An Archetype Filled Journey

Due Date

Are archetypes present in every movie?

                Over the weekend my brother and I watched the movie “Due Date”  for shear enjoyment.  I fully admit that the movie “Due Date” is neither appropriate nor educational.  I realized that despite its bad qualities it encompasses numerous symbolic archetypes.  The enjoyment that came from the film was derived from the simplicity of the archetypes, along with humorous events.

To summarize the movie:

A very sophisticated architect, Peter, is attempting to arrive in Los Angeles for the birth of his child. While enroute Peter encounters a naïve man, Ethan Tremblay (or Chase) who is an aspiring actor holding beliefs contrary to his own.   Due to Ethan’s idiocy Peter is placed on a no-fly list, furthermore he is separated from all his possessions, including his money and identification.  As Peter has no means of travel he is compelled to catch a ride with the penniless, drug addicted and insane Ethan to travel across the U.S.A.  On their journey the pair encounters numerous road blocks including:  a serious car accident, Ethan accidentally shooting Peter, and fleeing from Mexican police.  Furthermore Ethan instills doubt in Peter that his expecting wife has been unfaithful.  Throughout the journey the two opposite men are forced to spend time together and to overcome various obstacles.  When they finally reach their destination on time the pair has become unlikely friends. 

Although “Due Date” is a crude comedy it includes symbolic archetypes as well as object archetypes.

Symbolic Archetypes

·         Light vs. Darkness

- All evil or negative events occur under the cover of darkness.

Ethan’s heavy use of marijuana while driving in a sealed car results in Peter becoming drugged. Under the influence of drugs Peter hallucinates.  In the hallucination Peter sees Ethan as a dark frightening wolf or bear like creature.  This is symbolic of Ethan’s ignorant, idiotic and evil qualities.

·         Water vs. Desert

-          Ethan and Peter are attempting to drive across the U.S.A. from Atlanta to Los Angeles.  The pair encounters deserts, bodies of water and rainstorms on their journey.

When driving across the desert, all hope is seemingly lost and Peter fears he will not arrive in Los Angeles for the birth of his child.  Furthermore the desert is symbolic of brutal honesty, as it is difficult place for human survival.   At the Grand Canyon in an area bare of vegetation, Peter confesses to Ethan that he attempted to abandon him.  When Ethan reluctantly reveals that he has Peter’s wallet in his possession Peter looses sanity and physically attacks Ethan.

On their journey Ethan and Peter are forced to spend the night at a rest stop in a rain storm.  Ethan and Peter begin to understand each other and the strong hate between them lessens.  The strength of the rain increases as the two men begin to cooperate but the harmony is very short lived due to Ethan’s obscene actions.   

·         Heaven vs. Hell

Ethan and Peter initially met when Ethan’s friend nearly killed Peter with his car.  Upon the near death experience Ethan announced:

 “My father always had a saying, when a day starts like this. It’s all uphill from here”  

Peter: “Uphill? No, it’s all downhill from here”

Ethan: “But nobody wants to be down, everybody wants to be up. It’s all uphill from here. “

Peter: “But it’s easier to go downhill. So your dad had no idea what… he was talking about”

The seemingly idiotic uphill, downhill argument immediately revealed the personalities of Ethan and Peter.  Ethan is portrayed as naïve childish and overly friendly while Peter is a concealed, easily aggravated and intelligent person.   The uphill and downhill components of the argument can be symbolic of heaven and hell.  As “But nobody wants to be down (in a hellish mood), everybody wants to be up (feeling godly) ...”

·         Haven vs. Wilderness

After Ethan and Peter were in a nearly fatal car accident where Peter suffered a broken arm, Peter’s friend Darryl brought the pair to his home.  Darryl’s house acted similar to a haven as it is a sane and clean place contrary to the places Peter and Ethan had experienced.  Darryl’s haven sheltered Ethan and Peter for a short time. The visit ended abruptly when they accidentally drank the ashes of Ethan’s deceased father and Ethan accused Darryl of having an affair with Peter’s wife.

COULOR ARCHTYPES   

·         Black- Both Ethan’s and Peter’s sun glasses were completely black.  This is symbolic of how mysterious and unknown the main characters are to the viewers.  The black sky represents mystery and the unknown.  When under the influence of drugs Peter sees black with small flecks of white light in his hallucinations.  This represents possible death and the evilness of drugs.

·         Red – When Ethan accidentally shoots Peter a large amount of red blood is shed.  Blood is representative of physical life and spirituality.  Peter’s life and spiritual being weakens with the loss of blood.  Ethan clearly has a type of disorder which causes him to act in a very childish manner.  Ethan’s disorder is represented by the color red.  The red sun rises and sunset represents the birth of new thoughts and the passing of time.  Red also represents the excitement and suspense of the journey.  The red coffee can that was holding ashes of Ethan’s father was symbolically red because it was sentimental to Ethan.  

·         Green - Ethan is green with envy when he realizes Peter has a close friend (Darryl) who is willing to do him a favor.  Furthermore Ethan is envious of Peter’s wife, as she is attractive and kind.  The rolling green fields are symbolic of the hope that both Ethan and Peter will be home quickly and safely.

·         White – Peter’s drug induced hallucinations were mainly black with streaks of white light. The white light among the black is symbolic of hope and mortality. Darryl’s white high end SUV and the white border police car symbolize mortality, as does the shirt that Peter is wearing throughout the film.  

·         Orange – The Grand Canyon is composed of orange rocks that symbolize pride and egotistical beliefs.  The incredibly egocentric Peter beats up Ethan due to Peter’s immense build up of stress and frustration and the belief that everything revolves around him.  Ethan’s desire to make his father proud is portrayed at the Grand Canyon against a vivid background of orange.  

·         Blue- A clear blue sky is representative of a clear and obstacle free journey. The bright blue sky juxtaposes against the reality of Ethan’s and Peter’s journey.

Object Archetypes

·          Shadows- Shadows are constantly present in “Due Date” they first appear when Ethan appears in the movie.  The shadows symbolize Ethan’s negative presence and foretell that he will only cause bad events.

·         Bridge- Ethan carelessly fell asleep while behind the wheel which lead to both Ethan and Peter driving off a bridge.  Peter suffered a broken arm and Ethan walked away unscathed from the near fatal accident.  Bridges are symbolic of changes or transformations. The change subsequent to the accident was that Peter detested Ethan even more.

·         Right hand- Peter is a very sanctimonious man who is naturally right handed.  When he has a car accident his right arm is broken and is forced to become left handed.  The change renders him slightly move devious.  

Are archetypes present in every story? 

In what way are symbolic and object archetypes significant in our own lives?