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DARLING COMPANIONMovie Reviews
Drama comedy about the impact of a small dog on a married couple and the guests at their vacation home. Cast:Kevin Kline, Diane Keaton, Richard Jenkins, Dianne WiestDirector:Lawrence KasdanRelease Date:April 20, 2012DVD Release:August 28, 2012From:Sony PicturesRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 43 min
Darling Companion played in key cities to weak reviews. • Linda Barnard wrote in the Toronto Star, "Kasdan's script, penned with wife Meg (who also co-wrote 'Grand Canyon'), isn't as much at fault as the initial gaffe: the ridiculous premise in this shaggy dog story." • And Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "How could it be such thin soup?" More Reviews Below...
Mary Pols, Time: WEAK "...as bland and soft as a nice bowl of oatmeal.... What surprised me was the awkwardness and even amateurism of the filmmaking, despite its veteran director."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 904 words, 04/19/12
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...a film with little on the line... The characters are introduced awkwardly and a strange insertion of an animated dream sequence is entirely out of place."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 501 words, 04/19/12
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "Will Beth, combing the mountains, find her new best friend and substitute hubby? Kasdan's comedy strikes a note of rib-nudging blah coyness that feels very 1987."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 87 words, 04/13/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Kasdan nimbly directs this character-driven, heartfelt saga, which he co-wrote with his wife, Meg.... the ensemble cast makes the most of the material."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 495 words, 04/20/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: POOR(cg) "It is depressing to reflect on the wealth of talent that conspired to make this inert and listless movie.... How could it be such thin soup?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 660 words, 04/27/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: WEAK(cg) "Kasdan's movie is weirdly unwieldy... All of the fine actors do fine enough work that if you're a big fan of any of them, you'll get some pleasure out of the picture."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 739 words, 04/18/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: FAIR "Though it is not very good, it is not actually unpleasant... soft when it wants to be gentle, smug when it aims for wisdom, and funniest when it is trying hardest not to be."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 814 words, 04/20/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "The folksy shenanigans are well-intentioned but frankly interminable, with Kevin Kline's wry efficiency the best relief from all the yowling and whining."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 162 words, 04/20/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: WEAK "Even the marquee ensemble anchored by Diane Keaton, Dianne Wiest, Kevin Kline and Richard Jenkins is not enough to rescue this motley mutt of a movie."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 648 words, 04/20/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...doesn't amount to much more than a fairly painless way for the AARP set to spend an hour and a half watching a movie with stars their own age."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 437 words, 04/20/12
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: WEAK "...heartbreakingly limp.... it has the shapeless spread of nonfiction, of a home movie with a hint of that newfangled mumblecore thing the kids these days are into."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 152 words, 04/16/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: POOR(cg) "It is depressing to reflect on the wealth of talent that conspired to make this inert and listless movie.... How could it be such thin soup?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 660 words, 04/27/12
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "The handsome pooch is the only appealing aspect of the latest tale of privileged boomer pulse-taking from Kasdan, who co-wrote the script with his wife, Meg..."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 215 words, 04/18/12
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "Kasdan's script, penned with wife Meg (who also co-wrote 'Grand Canyon'), isn't as much at fault as the initial gaffe: the ridiculous premise in this shaggy dog story."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 675 words, 04/27/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...terrible... sets up a bunch of empty scenes where people are trapped with each other and pass the time by arguing and reconciling.... ridiculously out of touch..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 04/26/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a shambling and not exactly deep ensemble piece centered on a long-married couple and the dog that comes into, and then out of, their lives."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 471 words, 05/11/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "It's about one family and lots of families, whose problems and personalities would not be big-screen material unless they were played by movie stars."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 554 words, 05/11/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: POOR(cg) "It's a shame these wealthy people lost their dog, it's a shame they can't find it, it's a shame Kasdan thinks we want to spend nearly two hours listening to them complain..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 682 words, 04/27/12
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's far from a great movie -- an overwritten, underplotted vanity project... But it has Diane Keaton, and that's enough."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 05/18/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "...like that dog - and its director -- the film is lost in the woods, going in circles, unable to see the forest for the trees."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 484 words, 04/20/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...a pack of all-too-plausible characters... These are people who might go 20 years without saying or doing a surprising thing or having a surprising emotion."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 517 words, 05/11/12
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: FAIR(cg) "Though the fur on the movie's titular canine isn't very long, this is still one hummer of a shaggy dog story.... has the feel of a fact-based dinner-table anecdote..."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 308 words, 05/18/12
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "...as exhausting as the search for Freeway.... has a fine cast, but doesn't seem to have much to say other than lamenting the unfairness of getting old."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 305 words, 05/18/12
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "The handsome pooch is the only appealing aspect of the latest tale of privileged boomer pulse-taking from Kasdan, who co-wrote the script with his wife, Meg..."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 215 words, 04/18/12
Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: POOR(cg) "...proves that you can have the greatest group of performers in the world, but it's meaningless if they aren't working from an even halfway decent script."(See all of Eric Eisenberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 626 words, 04/23/12
Jake Mulligan, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "...insulting... the lazy plot here isn't nearly as offensive as Ayelet Zurer's performance as a possibly psychic gypsy who uses her visions to keep the family searching..."(See all of Jake Mulligan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 149 words, 05/17/12
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "The tone is mild, the setting is peaceful to the point of sleepiness, and the stakes are incredibly low, even with the heart-tugging presence of an adorable animal in danger."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 374 words, 04/26/12
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: MODERATE(cg) "...aimless, tedious, sometimes downright ridiculous... Only Keaton, waving her arms and exhorting all those around her to please help her find her dog, makes any sense."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 691 words, 04/19/12
Nick Schager, Slant: POOR(cg) "...insufferable... a nails-on-a-chalkboard tale... any sense of reality has been jettisoned in favor of broad comedy-schmaltz.... A cornucopia of cornball bathos..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 437 words, 04/13/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: POOR(cg) "...terrible... sets up a bunch of empty scenes where people are trapped with each other and pass the time by arguing and reconciling.... ridiculously out of touch..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 04/26/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: FAIR "Though it is not very good, it is not actually unpleasant... soft when it wants to be gentle, smug when it aims for wisdom, and funniest when it is trying hardest not to be."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 814 words, 04/20/12
Ella Taylor, NPR: WEAK "...uses the mutt's disappearance as a frame on which to hang a well-worn package of fatally mild domestic disorder, then resolve it in what feels like real time."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 04/19/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "Even the marquee ensemble anchored by Diane Keaton, Dianne Wiest, Kevin Kline and Richard Jenkins is not enough to rescue this motley mutt of a movie."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 648 words, 04/20/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: POOR "...completely uninteresting... a pallid, embarrassing canine comedy that squanders a cast of terrific actors on playing 1 percenters trapped in a Colorado resort community."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,418 words, 04/17/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Lael Loewenstein, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "It's always a pleasure to watch actors as fine as Keaton, Kline, Wiest and Jenkins plying their craft, even as it disappoints to see them underserved..."(See all of Lael Loewenstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 832 words, 01/26/12
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "...soft-hearted... never finds a satisfying path around its oft-traveled 'family members facing off at a vacation home' terrain, instead taking a too predictable route..."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 554 words, 02/09/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "Even the marquee ensemble anchored by Diane Keaton, Dianne Wiest, Kevin Kline and Richard Jenkins is not enough to rescue this motley mutt of a movie."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 648 words, 04/20/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: FAIR "Though it is not very good, it is not actually unpleasant... soft when it wants to be gentle, smug when it aims for wisdom, and funniest when it is trying hardest not to be."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 814 words, 04/20/12
15.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Darling Companion's reviews are separated by an average 15.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Darling Companion (40 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Darling Companion's reviews cover 77.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 19,968 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 499 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 10.9 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Darling Companion's reviews on average broke 10.9 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Darling Companion's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Darling Companion (40 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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