Movie Review: 'Darling Companion' -- 1.5 stars

Darling Companion
1.5 stars
Written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan
Starring Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Elisabeth Moss, Richard Jenkins, Dianne Weist, Ayelet Zurer
Rated PG-13

There's no greater nightmare for a dog owner than the misery that befalls the main character in Lawrence Kasdan's "Darling Companion." But it sure doesn't make for an interesting movie.

Diane Keaton's Beth loves her pooch Freeway - rescued from the side of an interstate - more than anything in the world.

One day, her self-absorbed husband Joseph (Kevin Kline) takes the mutt for a walk without a leash near the couple's Telluride, Colo., vacation home. Just like that, Freeway is gone, sprinting away into the brush.

The rest of the film consists of Keaton, Kline and a top-notch supporting cast (Richard Jenkins and Dianne Wiest, among others) searching endlessly for the dog and grappling with their human relationship problems.

They are guided on this journey by Beth's assistant Carmen (Ayelet Zurer), who conveniently happens to moonlight as a psychic.

Kasdan is a top-notch director who has made a number of memorable films, including "The Big Chill" and "Grand Canyon." But "Darling Companion," which he co-wrote with his wife, Meg Kasdan, is clunky and tedious.

The evocative scenery and predictably fine acting can't save the movie from the insipid writing, which is centered on the less-than-illuminating insight that some people really love their dogs.