It’s important to begin with a spoiler for Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s “The Friend.” Dog lovers: be warned that your heartstrings will be tugged and toyed with, but they won’t be broken by this film.
The film, which is based on the novel by Sigrid Nunez and adapted by McGehee and Siegel, is about friendship in its many forms. Iris (Naomi Watts) is a writer in New York City who is grieving the loss of her friend Walter (Bill Murray). After Walter’s passing, Iris learns he left his 150-pound Great Dane, Apollo, to her with the hopes she would adopt and care for him.
But is Iris ready for such a daunting task?
She’s hesitant to bring Apollo home to her tiny New York City apartment. Like most Manhattan buildings, the apartment is barely big enough for Iris, let alone a small pony of a dog. She remains confused about Walter’s death and even more confused why his widow (Noma Dumezweni) or his previous wives (Carla Gugino and Constance Wu) wouldn’t be the ones to care for Apollo. Plus, it doesn’t help that her building doesn’t allow pets.
Iris knows she’s in over her head taking on Apollo. She can’t even get him to stay off her bed, which causes her to sleep on a blowup mattress on her floor. But, in her grief, she knows this is what her friend wanted and through her confusion and anger, she wishes to honor that.
What McGehee and Siegel accomplish with “The Friend” is never groundbreaking, but navigates familiar territory with a striking balance. The idea of a woman taking on her deceased friend’s dog at his behest feels like a premise that could have been maudlin, but the directors focus on the day-to-day, moment-to-moment experience of grief.
Watts is a great actress whose career has hit a bit of a lull in recent years. In 2019, she gave one of her best performances in “Luce,” but finding a role as complex as that hasn’t happened since. “The Friend” is a showcase for what she can do as a performer and Watts carefully modulates her performance to each emotion Iris is feeling. She’s confused, grieving and frazzled by her new roommate. Watts never leans into histrionics to portray this, which makes her depiction of grief all the more powerful onscreen.
As Iris is scrambling to figure out what to do with Apollo — and who could possibly adopt him full-time — their bond expectedly begins to grow. They’ve both lost Walter, and the movie shows how two different species can share the same grief. For Iris, Apollo is a remaining connection to Walter while she navigates his absence.
Losing a friend, whether to circumstances or death, is never easy; “The Friend” reminds the audience people and relationships might not live forever — but memories do. And sometimes, those memories come in the form of a Great Dane.
“The Friend” is now playing in theaters.
Matt Passantino is a contributor to CITY.
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2024.
