The Friend (2024)

Slow, sad and secretly sweet, The Friend moves at the speed of a very old dog, which is half the point and half the problem. Naomi Watts plays Iris, a Manhattan writer and professor whose mentor Walter (Bill Murray) has just died, and his widow asks her to take Apollo, his aging Great Dane, for a while. Apollo ignores every command, takes over her bed immediately and makes a mess of her research. Her building bans dogs, the super is keeping score, and an eviction notice is on the way. Watts and that giant, stubborn dog are a terrific pair. The movie stays quiet, sometimes too quiet, and the subplot about finishing Walter’s biography feels like paperwork next to a dog with opinions. Critics went 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it earns that with patience, not big moments. A 7.1 because it understands that grief sometimes looks like caring for what someone left behind. $31.46 says you call someone you’ve been meaning to call before the weekend is out.

What works: Naomi Watts is gentle and funny opposite an enormous, stubborn scene partner, and the movie treats grief honestly without getting heavy-handed.

What doesn’t: The biography subplot and the parade of Walter’s ex-wives slow things down, and the quiet stretches sometimes tip into sleepy.

Who it’s for: Anyone who has lost someone, anyone who has loved a big dog, and especially anyone who has done both.