Darling Companion (2012)

A woman (Diane Keaton) and her daughter (Elizabeth Moss) find an abandoned dog on the side of a freeway. She adopts the dog as a companion which helps relieve the empty nest syndrome as well providing the companionship her self involved husband (Kevin Kline) can't. But a year later at a family wedding in the Colorado mountains, the dog goes missing and it precipitates some insights, romance and adventure for the few remaining wedding guests who form a search party to find the dog. Directed and co-written by Lawrence Kasdan (BODY HEAT), the film is an ensemble piece that resembles his THE BIG CHILL as six characters go through confrontations and changes laced with humor but the film seems so been there, done that. It's a conventional "safe" movie whose end is never in doubt without anything to upset or disturb us. One can't even recommend it to animal lovers since the dog is missing most of the movie. It's the kind of movie that depends totally on its cast which, luckily for us, is likable and works hard to jump start the movie. With Dianne Wiest, Sam Shepard, Richard Jenkins, Mark Duplass and Ayelet Zurer.