Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Friend

Play trailer The Friend 2024 2h 3m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 20 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
In The Friend, writer and teacher Iris (Naomi Watts) finds her comfortable, solitary New York life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor (Bill Murray) dies suddenly and bequeaths her his beloved 150 lb. Great Dane. The regal yet intractable beast, named Apollo, immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones, his looming presence constantly reminding her of her friend's problematic choices in both life and death. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with the animal, she begins to come to terms with her past, her lost friend, and her own creative inner life.

Critics Reviews

View All (20) Critics Reviews
Steve Pond TheWrap “The Friend” juggles the happy, the sad and the bittersweet while somehow managing not to lose the lightness that has kept it afloat. Oct 15, 2024 Full Review Bilge Ebiri New York Magazine/Vulture The Friend functions perfectly well as a dog picture, a movie about a frazzled single woman learning to care for a gentle but unruly animal in the big, bad city. Oct 10, 2024 Full Review Adrian Horton Guardian It succeeds when it boils down to its two main characters -- a sweet, naturalistic tale of this odd couple who learn to adore each other, with a few montages that feel fully out of a dog adoption ad. Rated: 3/5 Oct 3, 2024 Full Review Alex Papaioannou InSession Film And while the cathartic climax of this film may fall a bit flat, McGehee and Siegel carry The Friend in subversive, interesting ways right up until the credits roll. Rated: C Oct 10, 2024 Full Review Andy Howell Film Threat I’m just glad that somebody is making high-quality movies for adults with dogs. Rated: 7/10 Oct 8, 2024 Full Review Michael Frank The Film Stage It’s the type of film my parents would love––something shown on a cable network on a Sunday afternoon, easy to watch with just enough substance to make the audience feel something reminiscent of sadness. That’s a compliment, though. Rated: B- Oct 4, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

More Like This

View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
Welcome to the South % 57% Welcome to the South Watchlist Portraits of Dangerous Women % % Portraits of Dangerous Women Watchlist Ishq Vishk Rebound 25% 20% Ishq Vishk Rebound Watchlist TRAILER for Ishq Vishk Rebound The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer 67% % The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer Watchlist Muriel and Joyce Get a Boat % % Muriel and Joyce Get a Boat Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All The Friend photos

The Friend

View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In The Friend, writer and teacher Iris (Naomi Watts) finds her comfortable, solitary New York life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor (Bill Murray) dies suddenly and bequeaths her his beloved 150 lb. Great Dane. The regal yet intractable beast, named Apollo, immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones, his looming presence constantly reminding her of her friend's problematic choices in both life and death. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with the animal, she begins to come to terms with her past, her lost friend, and her own creative inner life.
Director
David Siegel, Scott McGehee
Producer
Liza Chasin, Scott McGehee, David Siegel, Mike Spreter
Screenwriter
David Siegel, Scott McGehee
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
2h 3m