Dog owners are all too aware of how inherently special the bond is between themselves and their four-legged friend. Regardless of their size, their age or temperament, it’s a deep connection that forms on either side, and the pooch at the centre of The Friend – a gigantic, droopy-faced Great Dane by the name of Apollo (played by an adorable horse-sized canine named Bing) – is the type of animal that encompasses the mentality of Scott McGehee and David Siegel‘s drama – one that is unexpected with its sweet and nurturing nature.
With his sad eyes, he’s the type of dog that you can’t help but immediately warm to, and as much as he’s something of an inconvenience to writer Iris (Naomi Watts, sublime) – what, with her rent-controlled New York apartment under a strict no pets policy – she, too, quickly succumbs to his charm. Just why Iris has Apollo is the result of the passing of her dear friend Walter (Bill Murray, in an extended cameo, appearing through predominant flashbacks), Apollo’s former owner, who trusted her more than any of the other women in his life (all three of his previous wives, Carla Gugino‘s first wife Elaine, Constance Wu‘s second wife Tuesday, and the most recent Barbara, played by Noma Dumezweni, readily accepted Iris’s influence in his life), and has bequeathed her the dog in his will.
Apollo was more than a pet to Walter, and he’s certainly more than just that to Iris too. He’s a presence. One that’s as stubborn as he is sweet. He rules over Iris’s apartment initially, but she soon learns that he’s just a dog grieving a loss he doesn’t understand, and when he senses Iris is mourning her own loss, he saddles up beside her to show her that he’s going to be the saviour she didn’t know she needed. McGehee and Siegel, who have worked on a number of films together over the course of their career, including The Deep End, What Maisie Knew and Montana Story, thankfully avoid dripping the film in a saccharine nature. Instead, its heartstring tucks are subtle, deep in their delicacies, which is further expressed in Watts’s gentle performance.
As a woman navigating her own grief, she bypasses any showy, dramatic moments. The understated nature of her turn feels all the more real because she isn’t sure how she should react, and so much of the joy and emotionality of the film comes from seeing her gradual shift in temperament. She’s well supported by the weaving presences of the aforementioned wives and the intriguing Sarah Pidgeon as Walter’s daughter, Val, who has also taken to Iris as an unofficial mother figure, as well as the charismatic Murray, who manages to make a lasting impression despite his brief screentime, but the movie is all about Bing as Apollo, who ultimately proves that the story was never about a woman having to house a dog, but two lonely souls who needed to find each other to make their next steps out confidently in the world in the wake of tragedy.
As subdued as The Friend may be for some audiences, McGehee and Siegel revel in their film’s simplistic nature, serving as heartwarming counterprogramming for the more fantastic, dino-sized tentpoles currently doing the rounds.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The Friend is screening in Australian theatres from July 31st, 2025.
