Once among the most influential of Hollywood writer-directors, filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan's latest focuses on a well-off, upper-class Colorado couple: hard-driving orthopedic surgeon Joseph (Kevin Kline) and his long-suffering wife, Beth (Diane Keaton). Driving home one day, Beth happens on a dog abandoned beside the snowy road, and—on impulse—rescues it, much to her self-absorbed husband's discomfort. Months later—after their daughter's wedding to the pooch's veterinarian at their rustic vacation home in the Rockies—the dog wanders off into the woods during a walk with Joseph. The furious Beth mounts a massive search, enlisting Joseph's sister (Dianne Wiest), her buffoonish new boyfriend (Richard Jenkins), and her son (Mark Duplass), as well as their darkly beautiful housekeeper (Ayelet Zurer), who claims to have psychic powers. Their wanderings lead to encounters with some oddball locals, including the sheriff (Sam Shepard). Ultimately, however, the movie isn't about the search for the dog as much as the evolving human relationships, as Joseph and Beth rediscover what they'd lost over the years, and other romances flower while the crew looks for the missing canine. All of this is played ultra-cute, with dialogue featuring entirely too many obvious sound bites that feel like excerpts from a sitcom, delivered in performances that may be genial but also lack energy and snap. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Lawrence Kasdan, co-writer Meg Kasdan, and star Kevin Kline, a behind-the-scenes featurette (5 min.), a segment on the director (5 min.), “Finding Freeway: Dog People” featuring animals from the film (4 min.), a segment on the New York premiere (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek)
Darling Companion
Sony, 104 min., PG-13, DVD: $30.99, Blu-ray: $35.99, Aug. 28 Volume 27, Issue 5
Darling Companion
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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