Darling Companion (2012)

by | Aug 20, 2012 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

B0088X7Z6S
Darling Companion (2012)
Cast: Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Dianne Wiest, Richard Jenkins, Sam Shepard
Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics 39985 [8/28/12]
Video: 2.35:1 anamorphic/enhanced for 16:9 color
Audio: English DD 5.1, also Spanish & Portuguese
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish Portuguese
Extras: Commentary track with Kasdan, Meg Kasdan and Kline; Behind the scenes; Behind the scenes: Lawrence Kasdan; Finding Freeway: Dog People; Red Carpet NY Premiere (cast, with Casey the dog)
Length: 104 minutes
Rating: ***½
Beth saves a lost dog next to the freeway in snowy Denver. Her self-centered surgeon husband Joseph (Kline) doesn’t want a dog but they have an empty-nest situation and Beth forms an instant connection with “Freeway.” While vacationing at their second home in the Rockies, where they just celebrated the wedding of one of their two daughters (to the vet she met when they first took the dog in), Joseph loses Freeway who chases after a deer.
A long search of the lost dog ensues, plus lots of accusations falling on Joseph for not taking the special dog whistle with him and being on his cell phone too much. Some of the remaining guests get involved plus a mysterious woman who may be a psychic sort of part-gypsy. She pairs up the searchers and in the process they become more understanding of one another. The ups and downs of relationships are at the heart of this movie, and the cute dog is a charming extra—although you don’t see him again for a very long time. I’ll bet John Sebastian and The Lovin’ Spoonful are pleased their song of years ago is both the film’s title and is heard on the soundtrack.
It’s definitely another boomer movie and good for that. Everybody comes out for the better. But the characters were so clichéd that the most interesting one to me was the part-gypsy woman. Even though her various psychic tips never result in finding the dog. Enjoyable, but not a must-see.
—John Sunier

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