Dogs aren’t for everybody. Sure, they are quite lovable and loving, but they also require a lot of work and commitment. Cats, on the other hand, just need you to feed them and stuff. For that same reason, you don’t see movies about the profound, life-changing impact a feline has made on its owner. But you do about dogs, and you see them quite a lot. There’s a whole segment of folks who won’t go to a movie with dogs in them, out of fear that something awful might happen to the animals. The Friend, a sweet, earnest, if somewhat modest adaptation of Sigrid Nunez’s bestselling 2018 novel, is both perfect for dog lovers who know the value of their four-legged friends and a movie that they’ll dread watching.
Naomi Watts plays Iris, a New York City woman who doesn’t really like dogs. She prefers cats. But she finds herself in ownership of Apollo, an old, majestic Great Dane who belonged to her best friend and mentor, Walter (Bill Murray), after his suicide. The film is an exploration of grief, and the power of a loyal pet to help navigate us through tragedy. There are loads of questions left in the wake of the gregarious Walter’s death, not the least of which is why he chose Iris to care for his beloved dog. But others linger for answers throughout the film, such as why this much-older, admittedly larger-than-life man had so many younger women who loved him so? Iris is just one of them, and she finds herself navigating some difficult issues with his wife (Noma Dumezweni), his ex-wives (Carla Gugino and Constance Wu). There’s also Walter’s formerly estranged daughter (Sara Pidgeon) who loses him just as they had begun to reconnect.
Written and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, The Friend balances thorny relationship drama with a streak of black comedy, something the duo has perfected nicely in films such as Bee Season, What Maisie Knew, and Montana Story. While the tone wobbles a bit, the scenes that show Iris bonding with a grieving Apollo are so sweet you’d have to be pretty cold not to be swayed by them. The dog has no interest in listening to Iris at first, and he can’t help taking over her bed no matter how loudly she complains about it. Apollo was fiercely loyal to his former master, reminding of the legendary canine Hachikō, and Iris has to put in the work to earn his trust.
A bit less convincing is when The Friend begins revealing some of the unsavory things about Walter. The film grapples with them lightly, in stark contrast to the book, and the supporting characters that are meant to flesh out that part of the story aren’t that convincing. But the same can’t be said for Watts. She’s such a terrific actress, a two-time Oscar nominee for a reason, and yet it feels like ages since there’s been a role that allowed her to be this funny and natural. Ironically, it might’ve been another movie about a life-changing animal pal, 2020’s Penguin Bloom.
In keeping with the film’s light touch, the final act avoids getting too dreary, especially for wary pet owners. At the same time, readers hoping for a faithful adaptation will probably resent it. The Friend can be quite heavy, but at its best there’s just something joyful in a human and their dog relying on each other to find happiness.
The Friend is open in theaters now via Bleecker Street.
