Due Date (2010) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Peter gets placed on the No-Fly List after a chaotic airplane incident where Ethan inadvertently shouts terrorist-related words and causes a disturbance. Federal Air Marshals escort both men off the plane, and Peter is subsequently banned from flying. This forces him to find alternative transportation to reach Los Angeles for his baby's birth.

Foreshadowing: The No-Fly List consequence was set up during the airport security incident when Peter's bag was found to contain Ethan's marijuana pipe.

• no-fly list
• airport
• Federal Air Marshal
• terrorist
• plane incident

Ethan carries his father's ashes in a coffee can throughout the road trip, planning to scatter them at the Grand Canyon. This unusual choice reflects Ethan's eccentric and somewhat oblivious personality. The coffee can is never explained further, but it fits the film's comedic tone and Ethan's unconventional approach to grief.

• father ashes
• coffee can
• Grand Canyon
• Ethan
• scatter ashes

Peter gets arrested for marijuana possession during a chaotic border crossing into Mexico. The marijuana originally belonged to Ethan, but it ended up in Peter's possession after the earlier incidents. When border authorities discover the drugs, Peter is taken into custody before Ethan helps orchestrate a chaotic escape using a patrol truck.

Foreshadowing: The marijuana originated from Ethan's purchase in Birmingham, Alabama, which Peter reluctantly participated in.

• Mexico
• arrest
• marijuana
• border crossing
• escape

Ethan accidentally shoots Peter in the leg while they are racing to the hospital after Sarah goes into labor. In a panic moment, Ethan's clumsy handling of a gun leads to the accidental discharge. Despite this dramatic setback, they continue their urgent journey to the hospital.

• gunshot
• accident
• hospital
• labor
• Ethan shoots Peter

Peter insists throughout the film that his baby will be a boy, engaging in typical pre-baby name debates with his wife Sarah. This detail establishes Peter's confident, somewhat controlling personality and adds to the comedic irony when their daughter is ultimately born.

Foreshadowing: The gender expectation sets up a gentle joke at the end when the baby girl arrives, subverting Peter's assumptions.

• baby gender
• boy
• Sarah
• Peter
• name debate

Peter reluctantly teams up with Ethan after being placed on the No-Fly List and losing all his ID, cash, and transportation options. With no way to rent a car or fly, Peter has no choice but to accept Ethan's offer to drive together to California. Despite Peter's initial frustration with Ethan's quirks, he has no alternative.

Foreshadowing: The partnership was foreshadowed by the sequence of mishaps that removed all of Peter's travel options.

• road trip
• partnership
• No-Fly List
• Ethan
• carpool

At Western Union, Peter attempts to wire money to himself but faces a frustrating ordeal when the employee refuses to accept Ethan's headshot as valid identification. This leads to a comical confrontation where Peter gets into an argument with a wheelchair-bound man at the counter.

• Western Union
• money
• headshot
• identification
• wheelchair

Ethan aspires to be an actor and carries his headshot with him throughout the journey, using it as identification and mentioning his dreams repeatedly. His ambition to act is a key character trait that drives some of the comedy, including the Western Union scene and his eventual appearance on Two and a Half Men at the end.

• actor
• headshot
• Hollywood
• aspiring actor
• Ethan dreams

Peter is desperate to reach the hospital because his wife Sarah is going into labor with their first child. The entire film is driven by the time pressure of Peter trying to get from Atlanta to Los Angeles before the baby arrives. Missing this milestone represents Peter's worst fear throughout the chaotic journey.

Foreshadowing: The urgency was established from the opening scene where Peter's anxiety about getting home in time is immediately introduced.

• labor
• hospital
• baby birth
• Sarah
• urgency
• time pressure

Peter and Ethan's friendship develops gradually through shared adversity. Though Peter initially despises Ethan and tries to ditch him multiple times, the series of mishaps, near-death experiences, and emotional moments like scattering Ethan's father's ashes create an unexpected bond. By the time they reach the hospital, they have developed genuine camaraderie.

Foreshadowing: Their friendship arc begins with Peter's reluctant partnership and deepens during the hospital scene where they support each other.

• friendship
• bond
• road trip
• Peter and Ethan
• camaraderie

At the end of Due Date, Peter makes it to the hospital just in time to see his daughter being born. After the birth, Peter and Ethan part ways with a promise to stay friends. The credits scene shows Ethan appearing on Two and a Half Men, while Peter and Sarah are shown at home together, confirming their friendship has endured.

• ending
• credits
• Two and a Half Men
• hospital
• baby girl
• final scene