Based on the bestselling novel, The Friend comes from writer & director duo David Siegel & Scott McGehee. The film stars Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, Sarah Pidgeon, Carla Gugino, and Constance Wu. Writer & teacher Iris (Watts) finds her comfortable life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor (Murray) bequeaths her his beloved 150 lb. Great Dane named Apollo, putting her place of residence on the line and coming to terms with her past.

The Friend initially premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival in 2024. After Bleecker Street acquired it, the film released in limited markets this past Friday, and will be releasing wide this Friday. With its highly positive reviews, I had to check it out as soon as possibly. Luckily, I got the opportunity to watch it, and I am in agreement with the majority of the reviews. You should definitely go check this out.

First off, this film has a Christmas tone since it is surrounded around the holiday, which would have made this better if it was released back in December. Releasing at this time of the year will certainly be a challenge unless you like the talent, love animal stories even if they make you cry, or love the book. I like the talent, animal stories feel so rinse and repeat, and I know nothing about the book. Apparently, the book is beloved, and I can understand why. While the film does feel quite long for its runtime, I can certainly see where this feels like a true adaptation due to how much detail it has.

One of the film’s biggest compliments that I have been seeing from others is that this is one of Naomi Watts’ best performance. I am not sure if it’s the best, but it’s certainly one of them. She completely embodies this complex and flawed character. While she literally can’t have a dog in her apartment or else she faces eviction, her heart is big enough to find what’s best for this new companion. At the same time, she’s still reeling from the death of a close friend that she didn’t get to see goodbye to her own terms. It’s a performance that requires a lot of emotional strength that I believe Watts was best fit for.

Seeing Watts cast in a film alongside Murray felt like an interesting choice. It almost feels like if Murray is cast, then it has to be unique. He isn’t in the film a whole lot, but the scenes he’s in adds a lot of importance to keep the film going. The film leads to a powerful third act where Watts comes face-to-face with Murray that I believe will really resonate with viewers. I still can’t help but feel like the film misses some time for us, the viewers, to connect more with Murray’s character before the inciting incident.

At two hours, the film spends a considerable amount of time explaining Murray’s character. You can fully believe these characters knew him. It can get quite strange at times. Murray’s character is morally complex, which makes the way others feel about him very conflicting. It’s even more conflicting based on how he leaves this world. The film does a great job at making us feel for these characters missing this person, but I still found his actions strange to say the least.

The film’s biggest standout though is Bing, who plays at Apollo, the Great Dane in the film. This might be the first time I ever talk about a dog as though they are an actor. It’s truly commendable how Bing brings out the right emotions. Even as a dog, you fully see what he’s going through. I loved the connection he has with other humans, showing how grief can also affect animals other than humans. He is truly the star of the film.

With a 2 hour runtime, the film can also linger on longer than it needs to. Again, for all I know, this is a faithful adaptation. Just when the film is actually resolved, it goes on and on and on. The film has multiple perfect endings, and instead, it ends on the most open-ended one. I get that it leaves for a happy tone, but based on where it ends, I can’t imagine there being much more to tell. I do have to say for an animal story, this was actually quite unpredictable, and one of the most unpredictable stories told in quite some time.

Overall, The Friend is an endearing story about grief and companionship lead by memorable performances from Naomi Watts and Bing, the dog. It feels like it would have fit best back in December due to the holiday spirit, but I hope it will still get a decent turnout. By the time the film hits the third act, the film fully hits all the right beats to follow through on its themes to create something unpredictable and meaningful.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)