Darling Companion 3 smiles

I liked “Darling Companion.” How could I not when it has an adorable collie-mix at the heart of the story? That said, the heartfelt story, written by Lawrence Kasdan and his wife, Meg and based on an event that happened to them, meanders a little too much. It attempts to explore the complexity of adult relationships, but it mostly hints at the problems and uses Carmen (Ayelet Zurer), the exotic caretaker of a vacation home, to set up the solutions. Diane Keaton is in fine form as Beth, a woman facing an empty nest and an empty marriage and she ably expresses Beth’s suppressed loneliness as well as her big heart. She and Kevin Kline have a convincing chemistry as a long married couple and there is a strong supporting cast. Michael McDonough’s beautiful cinematography bathes the Rocky Mountains and surrounding area (which was really Utah) in burnished oranges and golds.

Beth (Keaton) spies a stray dog on the side of a freeway and takes him to her Denver home with the help of her daughter, Grace (Elizabeth Moss). Her husband, Joseph (Kline), a dedicated surgeon but distant spouse, resists the canine charms of the dog Beth names Freeway. Sam (Jay Ali), the vet who treats Freeway, falls for Grace and they’re married a year later. The wedding is held at Beth and Joseph’s spacious cabin in the Rockies. After the ceremony, a few family members remain, including Joseph’s sister, Penny (Dianne Wiest), her boyfriend, Russell (Richard Jenkins), and Penny’s son, Bryan (Mark Duplass).  When Joseph becomes distracted during a walk through the woods, Freeway runs off, chasing a deer. When Joseph returns home alone, Beth is angered by Joseph’s casual loss of the dog. She and the rest of the family organize a search party while their cabin caretaker Carmen attributes her ability to catch glimpses of Freeway to her gypsy heritage. If you’re a dog lover, you’ll probably like “Darling Companion,” too, although Freeway does disappear for a good portion of the middle of the film. 4/20/12