Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (July 30, 2025)
In 2014, Naomi Watts and Bill Murray paired for St. Vincent, a flick that cast her as a pregnant prostitute and him as a degenerate alcoholic. They reunite for 2024’s The Friend, a flick that casts them in less exotic parts.
One day, novelist Walter (Murray) happens upon a massive dog while he jogs. After he dies, he leaves his Great Dane Apollo to his isolated mentee, friend and fellow writer Iris (Watts).
Whether she wants this enormous pooch or not. Apollo leads to complications in Iris’s life but he also helps send her on a journey of self-discovery.
Frequent readers of my ramblings know I adore dogs and live with some of my own. That said, my furry friends exist on the smaller side of the street, so I find it a little tough to relate to Iris’s interactions with Apollo.
Nonetheless, I care enough about canines that I should be able to connect to Iris’s journey, even if I can’t comprehend co-existing with a pooch the size of a Prius. The bonding between reluctant human and pup made me intrigued by Friend.
Unfortunately, the end product turns into something of a chore to watch. Even with a strong cast, the movie drags.
And the actors involved with Friend does give the movie a boost, though folks who expect to see lots of Murray will encounter disappointment. Although I wouldn’t classify his appearance as a cameo, Murray nonetheless shows up much less than one would expect given his billing.
Still, with Watts in the lead, we get some star power. Also, while castmates like Constance Wu, Ann Dowd and Carla Gugino may not exist as household names, they bring talent to the proceedings.
In addition, the basic story of The Friend shows potential. The movie promises an unusual look at grief and healing.
Too bad it can’t do anything interesting with its themes. Although The Friend aspires to a high level of depth, it falls short of its aspirations.
Those involved clearly feel they made a somber and substantial examination of the flick’s emotional processes. These notions tend to feel thin, however, and the flick doesn’t dig into them with real gusto.
This leads us to a narrative that feels fairly trite. Iris goes through the expected motions and ends up about where one might guess by the time the final credits roll.
Of course, the presence of a massive canine offers comedic opportunities, and The Friend indulges in those – reluctantly, though. The film remains largely somber but it makes occasional detours to the kind of slapstick one might expect given the possibilities brought by the juxtaposition of an enormous beast in small NYC locations.
Sometimes it feels like Friend wants to be a broad comedy more than a drama. The comedic moments don’t mesh with the rest.
Ultimately, The Friend tends to feel like a lot of navel-gazing and cameos but nothing more beyond that. Throw in a painfully contrived finale and this becomes a dreary project.
