THE FRIEND (2025) review

written by: Scott McGehee and David Siegel (screenplay) and Sigrid Nunez (novel)
produced by: Scott McGehee, David Siegel, Liza Chasin, and Mike Spreter
directed by: Scott McGehee and David Siegel
rated: R ( R for language including a sexual reference)
runtime: 120 min.
U.S. release date: April 4, 2025

“The Friend” is a movie that knows that dog-lovers want to know in advance if the dog dies. At least, I’d rather know upfront since I’ve been emotionally scarred by a handful of movies from the past, from “Old Yeller” to “Hatchi: A Dog’s Tale.” So, I’ll do you a service early on and let you know the dog in “The Friend” does not die. The dramedy, written and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, is an adaptation of author Sigrid Nunez’s 2018 National Book Award winner of the same name, and it’s primarily a touching and sincere examination of companionship, free of cloying saccharine. The titular “friend” can refer to either a human or a canine since the story touches on both mammals’ mental and emotional health.

The story centers around Apollo (wonderfully played by Bing), a soulful Great Dane everyone notices unmistakably. One day, while on a jog along the Hudson, Walter (Bill Murray) finds Apollo sitting on a hill looking at the Manhattan skyline. Through voice-over narration, we hear from Walter how he impulsively took in the abandoned dog, or maybe it’s the other way around.

But that was in the past, and Walter, a successful author and professor, is now dead after taking his own life unexpectedly. Left in his wake is his friend and former student, Iris (Naomi Watts), with whom he shared a love of literature and often helped her out of writer’s block, reminding her of her potential. He also leaves behind a handful of ex-wives, like Barbara (Noma Dumezweni), Tuesday (Constance Wu), and Elaine (Carla Gugino), as well as his adult daughter, Val (Sarah Pidgeon). Iris engages with all of them, knowing them well from their history with Walter, assisting Val in a writing project that will collect Walter’s unreleased work that’s been mired in procrastination. One day, Barbara shares that she cannot care for Apollo, and Walter’s wish is for the six-year-old dog to be re-homed to Iris. Feeling obligated to take on the responsibility, Iris brings the large creature home to her rent-controlled one-bedroom apartment in New York City, much to the chagrin of building supervisor Hektor (Felix Solis).

Inevitably, Iris develops a connection to Apollo, but not after trying to figure out how to meet the canine’s needs. He misses Walter just as much as anyone else, if not more. Iris gradually learns that both of them have to deal with their grief and confusion in the aftermath of Walter’s suicide. During this time, Iris reflects on the various stages of her relationship with Walter, especially as she is reminded of who he was to other people.

“The Friend” predominately follows the misadventures of Iris and Apollo, as Iris has to navigate the challenges of cohabitation with a large dog. He immediately claims Iris’s bed and lazes around in melancholy. Life adjustments are given to Iris, who has to calculate how long she leaves Apollo alone in her apartment after he tore up the place during his first day alone. This discovery period has some comedic moments, but there are primarily sobering scenes, like when Iris learns from a veterinarian that large dogs have a short life span and that Apollo has arthritis. Eventually, Iris finds that reading aloud soothes Apollo’s soul and strengthens their connection.

Murray has a minor role than one might expect in “The Friend,” and because of that, you will appreciate it when he does show up. Walter had quite the ego, and he was both wonderful and manipulative. He’s a character that looms large even when he’s gone, as the people he’s left behind (primarily women) must contend with unresolved feelings and figure out a way forward. For Iris, this involves understanding the complexity of her feelings at her own pace. Much of that has to do with thoughts about life and death that she winds up discussing with psychiatrist Dr. Warren (Tom McCarthy, a pleasure to see in front of the camera again). The scene during Iris’s session is revelatory, producing an understanding of self. It’s an excellent lead performance from Watts, who has been woefully underrated for far too long. It’s her second movie with Murray after 2014’s “St. Vincent,” the two work off each other well.

In the story’s third act, I found a fascinating scene that may not strike the same chord with other viewers that it did with me. It touches on a wish fulfillment of having that final conversation with a dear friend who’s no longer around. It was tastefully done, offering something unique within a dramedy that deals with wounded hearts. As much as the movie could easily veer into cuteness and cloying melodrama, “The Friend” maintains a tone of tenderness and depth, with a touch of levity here and there.

RATING: ***