The Friend

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2:29

The Friend

R

In Theaters Fri Mar 28

2h 3m

Drama

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

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24 Reviews

Popcornmeter

0 Verified 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.

Coming Soon

In Theaters Fri Mar 28

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Scott McGehee

Director

Stacey Battat

Director

David Siegel

Director

Naomi Watts

Iris

Bill Murray

Walter

Noma Dumezweni

Barbara

Emily Zemler

Observer

There’s a sweetness to The Friend that is rare in cinema today. There’s no cynicism in McGehee and Siegel’s version of the story, nor is there any malice.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 24, 2025

Full Review

Marshall Shaffer

Slant Magazine

Hardly a false note is sounded throughout The Friend, but it operates within such a limited emotional range that it drifts into monotonic plainsong.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 24, 2025

Full Review

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

Robert Kojder

Flickering Myth

A clunky, uneven canine companion/grief story that screams “based on a novel” by how many characters and subplots are short-changed and are considered afterthoughts

Rated: 2.5/5

Mar 25, 2025

Full Review

Laura Clifford

Reeling Reviews

a movie that seems to begin with a simple premise, then slowly evolves into some much deeper and richer than the first half suggests...Playing Apollo, Bing seems to actually act...

Rated: B+

Mar 25, 2025

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

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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: Scott McGehee, Stacey Battat, David Siegel
Producer: Liza Chasin, Scott McGehee, David Siegel, Mike Spreter
Screenwriter: David Siegel, Scott McGehee
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Production Co: Big Creek Projects, 3dot productions
Rating: R (A Sexual Reference|Language)
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 28, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 2h 3m