Darling Companion

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Overview

An aging couple find the happiness of their daughter's wedding offset by the emotional distress of losing their beloved dog in this comedy-drama from director Lawrence Kasdan. Beth Diane Keaton and her daughter Grace Elizabeth Moss are driving down a Denver freeway on a chilly winter day when Beth rescues a lost dog on the side of the road. Naming her new companion "Freeway," Beth forges a strong bond with her new pet while growing increasing frustrated with her husband Joseph Kevin Kline -- a self-centered ...
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Blu-ray (Color / Wide Screen)
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Overview

An aging couple find the happiness of their daughter's wedding offset by the emotional distress of losing their beloved dog in this comedy-drama from director Lawrence Kasdan. Beth Diane Keaton and her daughter Grace Elizabeth Moss are driving down a Denver freeway on a chilly winter day when Beth rescues a lost dog on the side of the road. Naming her new companion "Freeway," Beth forges a strong bond with her new pet while growing increasing frustrated with her husband Joseph Kevin Kline -- a self-centered doctor who shows more concern for his patients than he does for his own children. But shortly after Grace's wedding in the Rockies, Freeway runs off during a walk with Joseph. Furious at Joseph and devastated at the loss of losing her loyal pet, Beth recruits remaining wedding guests Penny Dianne Wiest, Russell Richard Jenkins, and Bryan Mark Duplass -- and enigmatic stranger Carmen Ayelet Zurer to help bring Freeway home safely. Along the way, Beth finds her crumbling marriage to Joseph put to the ultimate test.
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Special Features

Commentary with Lawrence Kasdan, Meg Kasdan and Kevin Kline; Darling Companion: behind the scenes; Behind the scenes: Lawrence Kasdan; Finding freeway: dog people; Red carpet New York premiere: Lawrence Kasdan, Meg Kasdan, Kevin Kline, Dianne Wiest, and Casey (the dog)
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Perry Seibert
In only his second film as a director, Lawrence Kasdan created arguably the definitive portrait of the baby-boomer generation as it neared middle age. The Big Chill still stands the test of time, and it also began a working relationship between Kasdan and actor Kevin Kline that has gone on to include six movies, including their latest collaboration. Darling Companion feels closer to a sequel to The Big Chill than Grand Canyon, their previous attempt to make a sweeping generational statement. Diane Keaton stars as Beth, the vaguely unsatisfied wife of Joseph Kline, a self-centered, highly successful spinal surgeon. One day, Beth discovers an abandoned and badly wounded dog by the side of the road, and it triggers all of her dormant maternal instincts. Over Joseph's objections, she adopts the stray and names it Freeway, and soon her new pet becomes a way for her to alleviate all of the frustrations she feels towards her less-than-considerate husband. One year later, she brings the canine along when they go to a family wedding at a secluded cabin. After all of the other guests have cleared out, Beth and Joseph stay for some extra time at the dreamy vacation spot, along with Joseph's sister Penny Dianne Wiest and her new boyfriend Russell Richard Jenkins, as well as Penny's son Bryan Mark Duplass, a fellow surgeon who works in Joseph's practice, and the beautiful Carmen Ayelet Zurer, who claims to be part gypsy and soon becomes the focus of Bryan's romantic affections. The whole weekend takes a dark turn when Joseph loses Freeway while on a walk, and everyone bands together and refuses to leave the cabin as scheduled until Beth is reunited with her beloved pet. Darling Companion is the kind of movie that benefits greatly from its modesty. Kasdan's script, co-written with his wife Meg, captures the children of the 1950s approaching senior citizenship with the same ease that The Big Chill served up a snapshot of boomers in their thirties. It also avoids the heavy-handedness of Grand Canyon; the characters feel less like archetypes and more like three-dimensional people. Likewise, the situation feels like an actual life event, not a writer's contrivance to force people together. This naturalism doesn't allow for melodrama, and that's just fine because Kasdan isn't aiming for an epoch-defining portrait; he's telling the simple story of a marriage hitting a rough spot because one of the spouses has gotten too comfortable with his success and with his partner. It would be hard to assemble a cast like this Kline, Keaton, Wiest, and Jenkins and make something that was difficult to watch, and the more-than-capable actors allow Kasdan's straightforward story to flow effortlessly -- nobody's pushing, nobody's straining. This is a very comfortable movie in that doesn't show off in any way at all, and the actors' low-key approach fits perfectly with Kasdan's modest intentions. But Darling Companion isn't just for people who love actors; dog lovers will get a kick at how well man's best friend is treated. A formidable amount of lovable pooches share screen time with the humans, and dogs are treated like sacred beasts throughout. These animals are gorgeously photographed, and if any film is likely to cause an uptick in the number of rescue dogs adopted from shelters, it's this one. Kasdan went almost a full decade without directing a movie, and if you've ever seen his 2003 adaptation of Stephen King's Dreamcatcher, you would understand why. The man who wrote Raiders of the Lost Ark, made the modern noir masterpiece Body Heat, and revived the Western with Silverado seemed to have lost all of his commercial and artistic instincts: Dreamcatcher was a movie so singularly bad that even the always reliable Morgan Freeman couldn't manage a convincing performance in it. Darling Companion shows that the time off did Kasdan a world of good. He's found his muse again, and with any luck he'll be able to go on chronicling the ups and downs of his generation right to the very end.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 8/28/2012
  • UPC: 043396399846
  • Original Release: 2012

    • Rating:

  • Source: Sony Pictures
  • Region Code: A
  • Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
  • Presentation: Color / Wide Screen
  • Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • Language: English, Portugais, Español
  • Time: 1:44:00
  • Format: Blu-ray
  • Sales rank: 6,482

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Kevin Kline Joseph
Diane Keaton Beth
Richard Jenkins Russell
Dianne Wiest Penny
Sam Shepard Sheriff Morris
Zack Phifer Comforting Husband
Elisabeth Moss Grace
Mark Duplass Bryan
Ayelet Zurer Carmen
Lindsay Sloane Ellie
Jay Ali Sam
Charles Halford Christus
Robert Bear Possum
Kasey Freeway
Paul Kiernan Patient
Jericho Watson Ethan
Yolanda Wood Cop
D.L. Walker Burly Cop
Dina Goldman Caterer
Ruben Barboza Waiter
Aline Andrade Waiter #2
Jonathan Kasdan Officiant
Mark Robinette Bandleader
Craig Miner Band Member
Ryan Shupe Band Member
Anne Cullimore Decker Muriel
Anthony Bregman Jeff
Tod Huntington Deputy Chas
Jason Jensen Ponytailed Runner
Steve Christina Redhead
Lorry Houston Co-Pilot
Jon Florence Pilot
Jan Broberg Hyterical Wife
Technical Credits
Lawrence Kasdan Director, Executive Producer, Producer, Screenwriter
Stefanie Azpiazu Co-producer
Anthony Bregman Producer
Dina Goldman Production Designer
James Newton Howard Score Composer
Meg Kasdan Executive Producer, Screenwriter
John Kelly Executive Producer
John J. Kelly Executive Producer
Ronna Kress Casting
Carol Littleton Editor
Molly Maginnis Costumes/Costume Designer
Michael McDonough Cinematographer
Donald Murphy Asst. Director
Andrew Peterson Co-producer
Manish Raval Musical Direction/Supervision
Elizabeth Redleaf Producer
Mark Steele Co-producer
Christine Kunewa Walker Executive Producer
Christine Walker Executive Producer
Tom Wolfe Musical Direction/Supervision
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