napierslogs (17 May 2013)

Finding a heart-warming relationship dramedy after losing the dull romantic comedy

I know what you're thinking, do we really need another must-love-dogsromantic comedy? Thankfully, contrary to marketing attempts, "DarlingCompanion" is not a romantic comedy. It's more like an outdooradventure, relationship dramedy, mystery. Unfortunately, it did startas if it was a romantic comedy. Mother and daughter were annoyinglycommiserating on the problems of finding a good man. Then they found adog and met a cute doctor.I was squirming in my seat faster than they could say "I do." But thensomething funny happened on the way to the wedding. The boring romanticcomedy angle was already wrapped up and they dropped the beleagueredjokes comparing man to dog. And then the film became a fairly simplebut enjoyable treatise on the relationships and world views of ahandful of family members and close friends.To me, the movie starts when Beth (Diane Keaton)'s dog goes missing.Her husband, Joseph (Kevin Kline), lost it, but he doesn't care. Heonly likes his money and telling people that he's a doctor. But hispractice is just going to have to wait because she's not going homeuntil they find Freeway (the beautiful Collie-mix Kasey). She is helpedby Carmen, an exotic sex-goddess who freely admits that she's a psychicgypsy blessed with receiving images of the lost dog. Nephew Brian (MarkDuplass) likes Carmen; he does not like his future step-father Russell(Richard Jenkins). Russell pretty much likes everyone and everything.Joseph doesn't like the dog and he especially doesn't like allegedgypsy psychics leading his family on wild goose chases.The older members of the audience were laughing first, but eventually alittle bit of humour in the form of funny lines came through. KevinKline was hilarious as the irritable elitist insulting hippie idealsand alleged gypsy psychics. The dialogue was quick, astute and savvy innavigating all the characters towards happiness in their relationships.If you can equate the search for the missing dog as a mystery, then itwould be worth comparing this film to Woody Allen's "Manhattan MurderMystery" (1993). A delightful discussion on relationships set to amystery plot. It doesn't hurt that the cast includes a couple of Allenregulars (Keaton and Dianne Wiest).It takes awhile to realize that this is not a dull romantic comedy, butif you're looking for a mature, heart-warming relationship dramedy,"Darling Companion" eventually finds its way.

B Fitz (16 May 2013)

Insipid chick flick (for deranged chicks that is)

What mature, intelligent woman would take in a grimy stray dog thenproceed to tear her family and town apart when it runs away (not tomention an airline)??? Worse, what man, in the responsible position ofmajor surgeon, would cancel his surgeries (along with all the rest ofthe family member) to spend 24/7 chasing this dog all while woman onewhines endlessly about why it was lost? What sane MAN would put up withand sympathize with such a screwed up woman???? ONLY in the imaginaryworld of chick flicks do such men exist and are such women tolerated,nay venerated!I personally find macho guy flicks pretty boring equallyimprobable.....but at least I understand why they are made.I have never seen a movie where I so completely disliked everyone onein it finding them all annoying and unreal.I didn't even like the dog!I saw the low reviews and saw the two Dianes and Kevin....they alwaysmake great movies...except this one.

Karah Stokes (13 May 2013)

We kept watching, hoping it would get better. It never did.

I AM a menopausal chick, and this flick does not cut it. All this talent wasted on a completely predictable plot ["We're gettingolder!!!" Unhappily they're not doing that in an interesting way,either]. It was not even funny, ever, except for one line. We keptwatching it, hoping it would get better. It never did. The Kevin Klinecharacter was a believable a$$hole who we are then supposed to believedoes a complete 180 because after twenty-five years his wife's naggingsuddenly takes effect. Um, no. I wished something interesting would happen: that the younger doctorwould maybe refuse to return to the big city because he falls in loveacross class lines and is not as attached to his place of residence ashis love object is attached to her small town, or that the Diane Keatoncharacter, instead of her daughter, would run off with the youngveterinarian -- stranger things have happened -- but no such luck.

VillageVoiceNY (13 May 2013)

Darling Companion

"Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions, they pass nocriticisms," George Eliot once wrote. That's certainly the appeal ofFreeway, a stray mutt rescued by Beth Winter (Diane Keaton), unhappilymarried to overweening, distant surgeon Joseph (Kevin Kline) in DarlingCompanion. The handsome pooch is also the only appealing aspect of thelatest tale of privileged boomer pulse-taking from Lawrence Kasdan, whoco-wrote the script with his wife, Meg (they last collaborated on1991's Grand Canyon). When, early on, the dog goes missing at theWinters' Colorado vacation home—where they have just hosted the weddingof...Read the full review here: http://www.villagevoice.com/movies/

Rosedame (02 May 2013)

Fabulous, Loving and Wonderful Movie

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what a sleeper of a fantastic movie.. heartwarming,real, touching, true to life... and it gives meaning to loving animalsas much if not more than people....who give us unconditional love,respect, and devotion... unlike our own humans.... but notwithstanding, we still need the companionship of our own kind... but itas you will find out, is a much better world with our loving animals tokeep us sane, grounded, and happy, It brings out all the emotions wehumans have, for better or worse, but real...this wonderful movie makesyou feel good about life.. something we all need right now............Go to see this movie now... don't wait.. run don't walk.. and see itover and over and over again....oh, bring a few tissues...

Rodrigo Amaro (01 May 2013)

Fine movie, sadly disliked by many for good and bad reasons

Of the few releases of the year, "Darling Companion" is perhaps the onethat didn't deserve all the hatred is getting. However, let's face itthat some it is quite understandable. This marks the first film ofLawrence Kasdan since "The Dreamcatcher" (to some quite a stinker, Idon't find it all that much, quite like it) and that makes 9 years; thefirst screenplay by Meg Kasdan since the glorious "Grand Canyon" backin 1991; then there's a great cast united here and they're at a strangelevel of their abilities and to most viewers the junction and the lackof more interesting script was the key factor for this being the moviethe public weren't expecting. Playing simple and with some predictability, "Darling Companion" isabout a housewife (Diane Keaton) desperate in finding her beloved dogFreeway, lost by her husband (Kevin Kline), who doesn't seem to caremuch about the new member of the family and end up losing the pooranimal while talking on the phone. In case you didn't got the name, thedog was found on a freeway almost freezing to death. It all happened after their daughter's wedding with the veterinary whotreated of Freeway a year ago. So, these people from the city are nowstranded in the countryside looking for the dog with the help ofanother members of the family (Dianne Wiest, Richard Jenkins) and asort of gypsy/psychic (Ayelet Zurer) who has blurred and foggy visionsof Freeway and the place he might has been. The real purpose of themovie is not only finding who's lost but also finding what is lost andthat is the human relations between the main couple, always on a mergeof the crisis even with the picture of being the perfect family wherethe husband is too focused on his career as a doctor and the wife is toconcerned of being away from her grown up daughters, and of not beingloved enough by her man, and now where's the dog, of whom she loveswith more enthusiasm than his real partner. More like a couple's retreat kind of flick, this is a very warmingproject, very light and with some funny moments. It's far moreinteresting to see this project of life where all the confusion of arelationship is solved during an particular event than seeing someridiculous romantic comedy that tends to present perfect lives allaround. Despite the difference in the way it treats its issues, farfrom being those corny rom-coms "Darling Companion" isn't all that muchof a mature screenplay though. I think it should have more focus on thecouple's background rather than seeing Keaton crying for whateverreasons, focus on some of their pre-existent marital problems. It'sjust too level. And there's a beautiful yet pointless animated sequenceinvolving the dog's point of view that really takes you out of themovie.If the story sounds silly, just see it for the actors. Kline is good,Keaton has one of the most decent films of the past 10 years ("TheFamily Stone" was a disaster next to this and I bet the ratings mightbe even higher than this) but if this worths a real good view isbecause of Wiest and Jenkins playing an older couple that has manythings to teach everyone around. They're so lovable and charmingtogether, and he's hilarious in the movie. And there's an almost wastedappearance by Sam Shepard playing an sick sheriff. But once again,they're not at their greatest level of acting. That's what killed theenjoyment for viewers, they expected too much of a movie that wasproposed to give so few.The Kasdan couple worked better with the accidents of life in theoutstanding "Grand Canyon". In that, miraculous events in the chaoticand stressful day-by-day routine saved people's lives and showed themnew ways to connect with someone in the abyss that separates everythingand everyone yet they're so close to each other. In "LongtimeCompanion" it was all about loving more your animal than the personwhom you spend your life with, or care less about the faithful animalfor reasons unknown, just thinking about himself. A sign of timesrepresented in both films by the same creators. When did we become soegoistical and stopped looking at what's around us? When did our valuesbecome so shrunken? Maybe that's the reason people despised the newKasdan. I liked but I wanted so much more...8/10

edwagreen (27 April 2013)

Rather Darling ***

The Kasdan's always seem to write about family relationships and thisfilm is certainly no exception.Diane Keaton pulls out all the stops as the wife of spinal surgeon,Kevin Kline, mature and excellent in the part. She finds a dog on ahighway with her daughter, the latter quickly marries the vet theybring the dog to.The film is about human relations among the family. Dianne Wiest isalso very good as Kline's sister, with her new boyfriend and son, alsoa doctor, all attending the daughter's wedding.The film then becomes one of searching for the dog who goes lost.Everyone seems to reveal their inner selves and it becomes afascinating character study.

rubitony2002 (26 April 2013)

Not a dog lovers movie, "Menopause Melodrama" should be the title

I am a dog lover and never miss the chance to watch a good dog movie. Irented this movie thinking my 10 year old daughter and I would sit downand have an enjoyable time together. About 20 minutes into the movieand both my daughter and I were doing something else. She was on thecomputer and I was reading a Harbor Freight tools flyer that came in.The movie starts slow, stays slow and finishes slow. There are too manycharacters involved and hard to keep up with who's doing what and why.I only finished the movie to see what the ending was like. I am aglutton for punishment. I should have watched the 10 O'clock newsinstead. Didn't get my $1.30 worth. (I rented it at Redbox) I was verydisappointed with it.

Chris_Pandolfi (22 April 2013)

A Missing Dog Brings Everyone Together

Watching "Darling Companion," I could tell that director/co-writer Lawrence Kasdan knew what he was after but had some trouble finding it. Strangely enough, this is surprisingly reminiscent of the film itself, which tells the story of a group of people having a great deal of trouble finding a lost dog. All the characters know that they want to find him, but actually reaching this goal will prove to be a tremendous physical and emotional challenge. It's a well-intentioned movie, utilizing a reliable relationship plot and terrific actors that give decent performances, although I felt something overall was missing; it lacks the necessary style capable of elevating its merely entertaining and heartwarming premise into something more meaningful.Before the story proper begins, we're introduced to several characters. At the top of the list is Beth and Joseph Winter, who have been married for many years and live comfortably in the suburbs of Denver. Beth (Diane Keaton) is an empty-nester, with one daughter already a mother and the other a college student. The latter, named Grace (Elisabeth Moss), is visiting during a term break. Joseph (Kevil Kline) is a successful spine surgeon. He's so successful, in fact, that he will spend a great deal of time on his cell phone – more time than is necessary, according to Beth. Despite many years of marriage, it's obvious that the spark is no longer there. Beth thinks Joseph is distant and a workaholic whereas Joseph thinks Beth is overly emotional, especially since their children moved away from home.The catalyst of the plot is a dog Beth and Grace find abandoned on a highway. Covered with dirt somewhat bloodied, they take him to a handsome young vet named Sam (Jay Ali), who immediately catches Grace's attention. The dog is treated, and Beth takes him home. Although she and Grace give him a bath, she makes it clear to Joseph that she has no intention of keeping the dog. But you know how it goes in situations like this; one year later, he has been named Freeway and has become a part of the family. So too has Sam, who marries Grace at the family cabin in the Rockies. At this point, we meet Joseph's sister, Penny (Dianne Wiest), and her new boyfriend, Russell (Richard Jenkins), who has a seemingly harebrained idea to invest their money into a Midwest English pub. This does not please Penny's son, Bryan (Mark Duplass), who works with his uncle Joseph as a surgeon.The plan is to stay for the weekend at the cabin. One morning, as Joseph takes Freeway for a walk, the former becomes distracted by a cell phone call while the latter becomes distracted by a scurrying deer. Freeway runs off and goes missing. While Joseph seems rather nonchalant about it, Beth goes into panic mode and launches a full-scale search-and-rescue effort, recruiting Joseph, Penny, and Bryan into the cause. Tagging along is the cabin's caretaker, a gypsy woman named Carmen (Ayelet Zurer), who recently lost a dog herself and claims to possess psychic abilities. Her repeated visions, vague and arbitrary though they may be, act as a guide for the group as they split up into teams and search the woods for Freeway.To deal with this right away, the subplot with Carmen does not work at all. Regardless of whether she's a crackpot or genuinely blessed with a third eye, this is a relationship comedy/drama – which is to say, this not the kind of story that supports the inclusion of a character like this. It was a strained, random, and unnecessary move on the part of the filmmakers. Straining it even further is the fact that Carmen rather quickly becomes Bryan's love interest. Their attraction to each other stems from nothing made apparent to the audience, apart from the convenience of two single characters being in the same space at the same time. As fashionable as it is to adhere to the rule that opposites attract, the simple fact is that they don't seem all that compatible.Carmen aside, it's obvious what Kasdan and his wife/co-writer Meg are trying to do here. "Darling Companion" isn't really about the search for a dog; it's about relationships in general and the processes of discover and rediscovery. Through this experience, Beth and Joseph once again learn to communicate, and Bryan learns to see Russell as something other than a lofty dreamer and a leech on his mother. Everyone's heart is in the right place. Of that much, I'm certain. Having said that, the film is at times rather confused about its tone, shifting wildly from mild humor to serious drama to broad physical gags and caricature profiles. Perhaps the film's deficits will be overshadowed by the audience's desire for Freeway to be found. Of that, you won't get a word out of me.

Harvey S. Karten (21 April 2013)

Diane Keaton's frequent bouts of hysteria are numbing in this otherwise amiable shaggy dog story.

mspieway (17 April 2013)

Do not waste your time

Why did I expect any different from a movie with Diane Keaton? Anothertale of whiny self-indulged people. Let's see: Mom shouts (AKA TeenDrama Queen) for Daughter to stop car on xway, finds dog, takes tovet...who is seemingly struck dumb by Daughter's (Ms Forehead) beauty.Dad insists NO DOG, yet next scene he is cheerfully walking it. Fast forward to their Colorado home & Daughter's wedding to Vet...Dadwalks dog, dog runs off, Mom starts airing dirty laundry about theirmarriage.Dad even interrupts local sheriff on his day off, with the 'emergency'of lost dog. Throw in some sort of Gypsy seer, meaningless shots ofscenery & various & actors/actresses....blah blah...Could not take one more minute. Haven't the slightest curiosity inending (predictable I am sure). Just another tale of out-of-touch1%'ers and their tales of woe, not even well done. Not one bit ofempathy with any characters, no depths exposed in any relationships,one total waste of time.Oh, and for the dog lovers out there: If dog was paid by the minute,small check was cut.

Ed (17 April 2013)

Not even good enough for an in flight movie

Slow story, whiny characters, irritating boomer reactions, weirdogypsy, and rednecks. I started to read the in-flight magazine instead.The beginning is slow and when you hope for more momentum, it starts toget annoying with petty bickering over obvious topics. The attempt athumor showing displaced urban boomers as completely inept in the greatoutdoors is hard to watch. It further deteriorated to the point where I found myself thinking whatthe !?! is this and unplugged the headphones. I enjoyed silence for therest of the 3 hour flight. I wish that I had the Harbor Freight toolcatalog that rubitony had. Menopause Melodrama gets my vote for title.I will say that Freeway the dog did a great job. He was right on cueand did not overact.

bonsallfrank (15 April 2013)

Great Matinée Movie

I don't understand all the hate on most of the reviews I've read. Thereare no special effects, but there are some heavy hitter stars in thismovie, and a pleasing storyline. Of course we all know how it's goingto end. But the movie, especially for us Boomers, touches on a lot ofsubjects that we can relate to when it comes to the aging process. Andhow society can be in a hurry to move us along. Make room for theyounger up and coming. The area where this was filmed, Utah andTelluride, are very familiar to me, and a joy to see. This isn't heavydrama, there is no nudity, the plot is not too involved. It's a greatmovie to take your 80 year old mother-in-law to on a Saturdayafternoon. That's what we did, and she loved it. So take Grandma to themovies this week. You'll enjoy the movie, and Grandma will appreciateyou taking the time to do it. See you at the movies. :)

lojitsu (15 April 2013)

A Quiet Film with a Good Family Element

Here's The Lowedown on "Darling Companion" (A Drama DVD review)...LikedIt!Become a fan of The Lowedown on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Lowedown/386583633764Genre: 6 Movie: 6What's it about? Beth (Diane Keaton) saves a bedraggled lost dog from the side of thefreeway on a wintry day in Denver. Struggling with her distracted,self-involved husband Joseph (Kevin Kline) and an empty nest at home,Beth forms a special bond with the rescued animal.What did I think? Not the fastest moving film ever made, but it was a nice touchingstory. It seems to be all about this stray dog, when in fact it wasabout a family healing itself through an outside source. This movie isworth the rental, if you are in the mood for a quiet film with a goodfamily element.

FilmRap (10 April 2013)

It features Diane Keaton and a lovable dog-how can it go wrong?

This is a wonderful "feel good" movie that everyone can enjoy. It will be especially meaningful to anyone who has been part of a family when the last child is married off and the parents deal with their adult relationship with each other and other members of their families. It was directed and produced by Lawrence Kasden ( Big Chill, Grand Canyon and many more big time hits ) who also wrote the script along with his wife Meg Kasden . They put together an honest story that showed love, romance and every day comedy in way that most people should be able to relate to and immensely enjoy. They assembled a cast of actors who were able to embody the characters they created in a skillful and very authentic manner. Beth (Diane Keaton) and Joseph (Kevin Kline) are the newly "empty nested" parents as their daughter Grace (Elizabeth Moss of "Mad Men" fame) ,the youngest of their children, finally finds Mr. Right and gets married. Jospeh is a spine surgeon whom Beth acknowledges may have always been a little full of himself but is shown to ultimately be a good guy. Penny is Jospeh's divorced sister (Diane Wiest) who has found her new love Russell (Richard Jenkins) who is a bumbling guy who wants to marry Penny and open an English pub in Iowa. Bryan ( Mark Duplass) is Penny's son who is also a spine doctor and has a touching flirtation with gypsy like housekeeper (Ayelet Zurer) of the family's vacation house in the beautiful Colorado mountains ( which was filmed in the beautiful Utah mountains) . Sam Sheppard is Sheriff Morris who adds further warmth to the already tender story. What we haven't told you yet is that the story is tied together by a lovable dog – that almost magically appears and then disappears ! The movie is the story about the search for the dog which occurs while the characters are finding themselves and their own bearings. The story is just right at 103 minutes . The acting is perfect-Diane Keaton is at her mature best, the country type music hits the spot and the film features a a dog! How can it go wrong?

cynthiahost (10 April 2013)

Heart Warming story!

Finally a movie about the lives of older folks in which the young takesecond place. Remember Diane Keaton in Looking for Mr good Bar andSleeper? Well now she's a lot more mature and wears glasses.KevinKline,remember him in Big chill?Now a lot more mature as well.DianeWiest. She's changed too. Diane plays beth,who just bi her growndaughter and her grand son baby, at the airport, Elisabeth Moss ,playsKeaton's second daughter Grace,who drove her to the airport.Keatoncharacter is worried that her second daughter has not found Mr righthad gotten married.While Beth's husband ,played by Kevin Kline is sobusy as a spine surgeon,she complaints that he has no time for he.DianeWiest plays Penny her sister, who just got married to Russell ,playedby Richard Jenkins,But her son ,who's a surgeon, played by once again,Mark Doublass,Doublass? ,of the Other sisters sisters ,fame, isworried that her husband isn't working and she's still supporting himand Russel wants her to invest in a English pub ,in the mid west forhim to open up.Well Diane ,as she's coming home from air port,I think,finds a injured sick dog,which she rehabilitates and names himFreeway.This dog, that now she take care of start to improved thefamilies life.Grace meets veterinarian Sam,an India decentAmerican,played by Jay Ali.They both fall in love with the aid of thedog.So as the whole family are at a cabin to celebrate thewedding,after the wedding Freeway gets lost and Beth can't leave untilthey can find the dog,Penny and her husbands maid Carmen ,aGypsy,played Ayelet Zurer by uses what little psychic ability to helpthem find the dog.This is when the problem happen,in searching for thedog.Bryan and Carmen get to know each other better.Diane and Kevin getlost in the woods looking for the dog but they kindle their love foreach. Lindsey Sloan plays one of the citizens who helps Kevin andJenkins to find Freeway.Robert Bear plays Possum ,who a rude residentthat chases both Jenkinds and Kevin out of his property. Very older SamShepherd,plays the kind fun loving Sheriff Morris,with kidney stoneproblem .A some time funny very sentimental movie.I saw this at Starzon demand.02/25/13

Chris_Pandolfi (28 March 2013)

A Missing Dog Brings Everyone Together

Watching "Darling Companion," I could tell that director/co-writerLawrence Kasdan knew what he was after but had some trouble finding it.Strangely enough, this is surprisingly reminiscent of the film itself,which tells the story of a group of people having a great deal oftrouble finding a lost dog. All the characters know that they want tofind him, but actually reaching this goal will prove to be a tremendousphysical and emotional challenge. It's a well-intentioned movie,utilizing a reliable relationship plot and terrific actors that givedecent performances, although I felt something overall was missing; itlacks the necessary style capable of elevating its merely entertainingand heartwarming premise into something more meaningful.Before the story proper begins, we're introduced to several characters.At the top of the list is Beth and Joseph Winter, who have been marriedfor many years and live comfortably in the suburbs of Denver. Beth(Diane Keaton) is an empty-nester, with one daughter already a motherand the other a college student. The latter, named Grace (ElisabethMoss), is visiting during a term break. Joseph (Kevil Kline) is asuccessful spine surgeon. He's so successful, in fact, that he willspend a great deal of time on his cell phone – more time than isnecessary, according to Beth. Despite many years of marriage, it'sobvious that the spark is no longer there. Beth thinks Joseph isdistant and a workaholic whereas Joseph thinks Beth is overlyemotional, especially since their children moved away from home.The catalyst of the plot is a dog Beth and Grace find abandoned on ahighway. Covered with dirt somewhat bloodied, they take him to ahandsome young vet named Sam (Jay Ali), who immediately catches Grace'sattention. The dog is treated, and Beth takes him home. Although sheand Grace give him a bath, she makes it clear to Joseph that she has nointention of keeping the dog. But you know how it goes in situationslike this; one year later, he has been named Freeway and has become apart of the family. So too has Sam, who marries Grace at the familycabin in the Rockies. At this point, we meet Joseph's sister, Penny(Dianne Wiest), and her new boyfriend, Russell (Richard Jenkins), whohas a seemingly harebrained idea to invest their money into a MidwestEnglish pub. This does not please Penny's son, Bryan (Mark Duplass),who works with his uncle Joseph as a surgeon.The plan is to stay for the weekend at the cabin. One morning, asJoseph takes Freeway for a walk, the former becomes distracted by acell phone call while the latter becomes distracted by a scurryingdeer. Freeway runs off and goes missing. While Joseph seems rathernonchalant about it, Beth goes into panic mode and launches afull-scale search-and-rescue effort, recruiting Joseph, Penny, andBryan into the cause. Tagging along is the cabin's caretaker, a gypsywoman named Carmen (Ayelet Zurer), who recently lost a dog herself andclaims to possess psychic abilities. Her repeated visions, vague andarbitrary though they may be, act as a guide for the group as theysplit up into teams and search the woods for Freeway.To deal with this right away, the subplot with Carmen does not work atall. Regardless of whether she's a crackpot or genuinely blessed with athird eye, this is a relationship comedy/drama – which is to say, thisnot the kind of story that supports the inclusion of a character likethis. It was a strained, random, and unnecessary move on the part ofthe filmmakers. Straining it even further is the fact that Carmenrather quickly becomes Bryan's love interest. Their attraction to eachother stems from nothing made apparent to the audience, apart from theconvenience of two single characters being in the same space at thesame time. As fashionable as it is to adhere to the rule that oppositesattract, the simple fact is that they don't seem all that compatible.Carmen aside, it's obvious what Kasdan and his wife/co-writer Meg aretrying to do here. "Darling Companion" isn't really about the searchfor a dog; it's about relationships in general and the processes ofdiscover and rediscovery. Through this experience, Beth and Joseph onceagain learn to communicate, and Bryan learns to see Russell assomething other than a lofty dreamer and a leech on his mother.Everyone's heart is in the right place. Of that much, I'm certain.Having said that, the film is at times rather confused about its tone,shifting wildly from mild humor to serious drama to broad physical gagsand caricature profiles. Perhaps the film's deficits will beovershadowed by the audience's desire for Freeway to be found. Of that,you won't get a word out of me.-- Chris Pandolfi (www.atatheaternearyou.net)

John DeSando (27 March 2013)

This dog can't be saved.

"Lassie, don't come home."Will movies never cease to amaze me? How could the creativity behindthe pleasing ensemble film Grand Canyon, Lawrence Kasdan and his wife,Meg, be responsible for the insipid drama, Darling Companion? A lost dog? The hunt curing and binding the principle couples? Please!!Only surgeons, veterinarians, and their wives could have the time andresources to stay at a Colorado lodge to look for a lost dog. Ofcourse, the dog is just the metaphor for the lost romance, to be found,of the couples, mostly Beth (Diane Keaton) and Joseph (Kevin Kline).It's difficult to describe how banal their interaction is, especiallysince Keaton overacts, flailing her arms at emotional moments, andKline appears to wish he hadn't made this movie with his linesappropriate for a high school world premier.But then, Sam Shepherd, the world-class playwright, has to endure histhankless role as the curmudgeonly sheriff, and Diane Weist can onlyshowcase her world-class cheekbones. Richard Jenkins as her silly loveinterest, well, he's had a whole lot better than his comic-reliefbuffoon.But then the writing Kasdans didn't have to worry about crafting eachline since it seems every other line is a scream calling for lost dog,Freeway. When the most conflict you'll get is Joseph's enslavement tohis cell, you have an idea that there are no new ideas. I suggest thereal conflict is Beth's over dramatizing, which Joseph calls her on.Once again a film relies on the faded glory of its Hollywood royalty totell a silly tale about older folk. I'm thinking I might enjoy thesecond edition of The Expendables, whose 65-year-old Sylvester Stalloneis a has been, knows it, and makes no pretense about making a warm andfuzzy film.

David Edelstein (18 March 2013)

It has the shapeless spread of nonfiction, of a home movie with a hint of that newfangled mumblecore thing the kids these days are into.

Nick Schager (17 March 2013)

A lost-dog drama so insufferable it makes one wish its human characters would also run off and never return.