Based on the bestselling novel, writer and teacher Iris (Naomi Watts) finds her comfortable, solitary New York life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor (Bill Murray) 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. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with Apollo, she begins to come to terms with her past, and her own creative inner life in this story of healing, love, and friendship.

PRAISE FOR THE FRIEND

It’s rich and emotionally complex, and it’s insightful about the relationships in our lives, both of the human and dog variety. –Detroit News

Directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel have avoided all the pitfalls of adaptation while remaining faithful to the source material… The Friend is just their style, with its beautiful, light-handed approach to big issues. -Hollywood Reporter

Watts finds another rich vein of emotion to dramatize with delicacy, humor and intelligent vulnerability. -Los Angeles Times

“The Friend” juggles the happy, the sad and the bittersweet while somehow managing not to lose the lightness that has kept it afloat. -The Wrap

It’s a lovely drama with light comic touches and many more insights about life, grief, writerly ambition and friendship.- San Jose Mercury News

‘R’ 119min

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