So far, Lawrence Kasdan’s first movie since Dreamcatcher (2003) has been received like a slobbery dog toy. Darling Companion is awkward but also sweet, and it’s difficult to muster actual hatred for the movie. However, it’s definitely challenging for any movie to recover after a bad stumble like the painful, wince-inducing first 10 minutes of Darling Companion. Characters clumsily struggle with their expository dialogue, as when Joseph (Kevin Kline) announces himself as a surgeon, in his office, in front of people who already know he’s a surgeon. But the movie does relax after a certain point. Staying at a mountain cabin after a wedding, Joseph and his various family members (played by Diane Keaton, Dianne Wiest, Richard Jenkins and Mark Duplass) slowly learn to bond while searching for a lost dog. In addition to the relaxed pace, the combined skill of these actors adds some much-needed humor. It’s just too bad the dog couldn’t have been around more.