The Friend

The Friend
Stars: Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, Sarah Pidgeon, Constance Wu, Ann Dowd, Carla Gugino and Josh Pais
Directors: Scott McGehee and David Siegel
Scriptwriters: Scott McGehee and David Diegel
Composers: Jay Wadley and Trevor Gureckis
Cinematography: Giles Nuttgens
Big Creek/Bleecker Street
Rating: PG 13
Running Length: 120 Minutes

Bring handkerchief. That written, “The Friend” is the story of loss, regret and companionship, with the help of friends. The story came from a novel written by Sigrid Nunez, which was then changed into a screenplay by Scott McGehee and David Siegel (also the director.) When one loses a friend, they don’t know how to cope, whether the death comes from longtime suffering, or just out of the blue. Emotions run deep here, and can be for two-legged and four-legged creatures who inhabit this planet

As the story goes, it centers on Iris (Naomi Watts) who is still in shock over the death of a close friend (Bill Murray.) She thinks of this person’s life and career, and especially his friend, a Great Dane dog named Apollo. Iris is shocked to learn that her friend has left her his black and white Great Dane named Apollo. The dog is the size of a small horse. You know where this trail is leading, and the two go through living in an apartment, dealing with apartment managers and nosey neighbors. A bond begins to form between Apollo and Iris. You can see it gradually come on as he looks less sad and she begins to talk to the dog. Photography by Giles Nuttgens catches canine and human expressions well. Time passes and Apollo is not a young pup anymore, so adjustments are made for stairs. But time does not stand still, it marches on and not at the pace we would like.

The dog is really the heart of the film, and Naomi Watts and Apollo blend into an acting team. The rest of the cast, Bill Murray, Ann Dowd, Carla Gugino, do their scenes well, but we know who the main character really is. The dog who portrays “Apollo” is well-trained and too bad there isn’t a dog acting award for those sad eyes Music by Jay Wadley and Trevor Gureckis blends well with the storyline and brings a certain warmth to the film.

Love can have many meanings from friend-love to deep emotion-love. Words spoken can have meaning even though the listener has pointed ears and large paws. Love is everlasting.

Four Tocks

Copyright 2025 Marie Asner