The Friend is a reflective grief drama about Iris, a writer and teacher who inherits Apollo, a Great Dane, after her friend Walter dies by suicide. Naomi Watts and Bing, the dog who plays Apollo, give the film a grounded center, but it is not a simple feel-good dog movie: it also deals with bereavement, a complicated friendship and the threat of losing housing.
Directed and written by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, The Friend stars Watts as Iris and Bill Murray as Walter. After Walter’s death, Iris must care for his dog despite living in a small New York apartment where pets are prohibited. The film’s official synopsis from Bleecker Street describes the practical conflict as well as Iris’s grief.
A grief story with a dog at its center
Walter’s death is not treated as a simple plot device. It casts a shadow over every interaction, especially because Iris’s memories of him are affectionate, resentful and increasingly difficult to separate.
Apollo becomes the physical remainder of that complicated friendship. Iris does not want a dog, cannot legally keep one in her building and has little room—literal or emotional—for a giant animal. Yet the people around her repeatedly suggest that Apollo needs her. She may have inherited the dog, but she also becomes responsible for deciding what his presence means after Walter is gone.
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Bing makes Apollo feel like a dog, not a punchline
The film’s best decision is its restraint. Apollo does not speak, deliver cute reaction shots on demand or behave like a furry human with a script. Bing plays him through posture, weight, stillness and the occasional startling burst of movement. His size is central to the performance: Apollo can block a doorway, dominate a room and make an ordinary walk feel like a logistical operation. Reviewers at WBUR also note the film’s reliance on the dog’s physical presence rather than overt anthropomorphism.
That physicality gives the relationship credibility. Iris cannot simply hug away her grief, and Apollo cannot provide a neatly worded lesson about healing. They have to share space first. Their bond develops through feeding, walking, waiting and learning one another’s habits—the unglamorous routines that make relationships with real dogs so powerful.
For dog owners, the appeal is not that Apollo is perfectly trained or endlessly agreeable. It is that the film notices how a dog changes the shape of a household. A giant breed requires space, patience and planning. A landlord’s rules matter. So do damaged floors, disrupted sleep, exercise needs and the question of who can realistically provide care. The Friend lets those complications remain visible instead of turning Apollo into a consequence-free rescue fantasy.
The practical problems are part of the story
Iris’s apartment is explicitly unsuitable for Apollo, and the resulting housing conflict gives the film some of its sharpest tension. The threat of eviction is not a minor inconvenience that disappears whenever the emotional scenes begin. It places Iris in a familiar position for pet owners: loving an animal does not erase lease conditions, financial pressure or the possibility that a landlord may force an impossible choice.
Rank #2
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That conflict also avoids a common movie-dog shortcut. Apollo is not presented as a magical solution to Iris’s isolation. He makes her life harder before he makes it fuller. She has to adapt her schedule and living space, tolerate destruction and accept that caring for him may expose her to consequences she did not choose. His needs are real even when her grief is overwhelming.
The movie is not a guide to responsible Great Dane ownership, and viewers should not treat Apollo’s situation as a model for taking in a giant dog impulsively. A dog of his size needs appropriate housing, safe transportation, regular veterinary care and a realistic plan for food, exercise and emergency handling. The film’s value is that it dramatizes the responsibility rather than hiding it behind sentiment.
Naomi Watts carries the quieter material
Watts gives Iris an inward, guarded performance. Iris is not immediately grateful for Apollo’s arrival, and the film does not ask her to be. Her irritation is often more believable than instant devotion: she is mourning a man who hurt and disappointed people, while also being asked to care for the animal he left behind.
Bill Murray’s Walter is important, but this is not a conventional Watts–Murray two-hander. Walter is largely encountered through flashbacks and recollections after his death. The structure makes him feel like an unresolved argument in Iris’s mind rather than an active partner in the present-day story. That choice keeps the focus on what remains after a charismatic, complicated person is gone.
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Rank #3
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The supporting cast includes Ann Dowd, Constance Wu, Carla Gugino, Noma Dumezweni, Sarah Pidgeon and Owen Teague. Their characters broaden the film’s portrait of Iris’s professional and personal world, though this is also where the movie becomes less focused. Some viewers will appreciate the literary New York setting and its conversations about writing, teaching and friendship. Others may feel that the side stories interrupt the more affecting Iris-and-Apollo material.
Where the film loses its balance
The Friend is strongest when it observes rather than explains. Apollo lying across a room, Iris trying to work around him or the two of them negotiating an ordinary outing can communicate more than a speech about grief. The film is less consistent when it expands into its wider commentary on Walter, Iris’s creative life and the social world surrounding them.
The pacing is deliberate. Bleecker Street lists the film’s runtime as 123 minutes, giving the relationship room to develop but also allowing some scenes to feel overextended. Its literary setting can be appealingly specific, yet occasionally self-conscious. The story wants to be about a dog, a friendship, a suicide, a housing crisis, artistic frustration and the ethics of remembering a difficult person. Those subjects belong together, but they do not always receive equal weight.
The film also requires viewers to sit with uncomfortable questions. Is Iris caring for Apollo because she wants him, because Walter asked her to, or because refusing would feel like abandoning Walter again? Can love for the dog exist separately from resentment toward his former owner? And how much responsibility can be placed on a grieving person before compassion becomes another demand?
Rank #4
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Is The Friend worth watching if you love dogs?
Yes, if you are looking for a reflective grief drama rather than a conventional feel-good animal movie. Bing’s performance is a major reason to watch: Apollo feels observant without being anthropomorphized, and the film gives his presence enough time to matter.
Prospective viewers should know that the story includes suicide, bereavement, difficult memories of a friendship and threats connected to housing. The dog does not erase those subjects. In fact, Apollo keeps bringing them into the room. His companionship is comforting precisely because it is ordinary and demanding, not because it produces an easy recovery.
Adapted from Sigrid Nunez’s 2018 novel—which won the 2018 National Book Award for Fiction, according to the National Book Foundation—the film is a thoughtful choice for viewers who enjoy character-driven stories about animals and the people who have to live with them. It will be less satisfying for anyone expecting a fast-moving dog adventure, a broad Bill Murray comedy or a simple rescue-and-healing arc.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Release details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Director and writers | Scott McGehee and David Siegel |
| Lead cast | Naomi Watts, Bill Murray and Bing the Great Dane |
| Character played by the dog | Apollo |
| U.S. theatrical release | April 4, 2025, according to Bleecker Street |
| Runtime | 123 minutes, according to Bleecker Street |
| Rating | R for language and a sexual reference |
| Current availability | Bleecker Street lists it as available to rent or own on demand |
FAQ
Is The Friend a dog movie?
It is a grief drama centered on a dog, rather than a traditional family dog movie. Apollo’s care, behavior and relationship with Iris drive the story, but the film also deals with suicide, bereavement, housing restrictions and a complicated friendship.
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What breed is Apollo in The Friend?
Apollo is a Great Dane. Bleecker Street describes him as weighing approximately 150 pounds, and the real dog who plays him is Bing.
Does the dog in The Friend talk?
No. Apollo does not speak or function as a humanlike comic character. Bing’s performance relies on physical presence, movement and expressive behavior.
Where can you watch The Friend?
The film had its U.S. theatrical release on April 4, 2025. Bleecker Street lists it as available to rent or own on demand; availability can vary by service and location.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line: The Friend earns its strongest moments from Bing’s grounded portrayal of Apollo and Naomi Watts’s unsentimental performance of grief. It is not a breezy dog-lover comfort watch, but it is a perceptive film about how caring for an animal can force a grieving person back into daily life. The slower pace and crowded themes may frustrate some viewers; for those willing to follow its detours, Apollo gives the story a convincing center.
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