The Friend

“The Friend” is a very New York movie, with its brownstone-lined streets and bookish apartments and literary professions, but its message is a universal one: Grief is a profound journey, better experienced with a friend at one’s side.

It’s an example of my favorite genre—Manhattan intellectuals in life and love, dressed in lots of wool blends and tweed.

“The Friend” stretches on a bit too long, but it’s done with such care and a kind heart that it’s not hard to give it two hours of your time.

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

The directors restrain themselves from drawing too much comedy from the obvious size difference between their two leads.

“The Friend” is a better dog movie than it is a people movie, but it’s such a wonderful dog movie that you may not mind that the people are merely fine.

With an underlying tenderness beneath the melancholy surface, this bittersweet drama is an incisive look at grief, support systems, and the obligation of honoring someone’s final wishes.

The story is far from bereft of emotion, but a few tweaks here and there could have made it even more powerful.

This movie lingers a bit too long, but thankfully Naomi Watts, the mesmerizing Great Dane, and the wonderful Manhattan scenery keep this heartwarming story of friendship engaging.

I wouldn’t say there’s a whole lot to unpack here, the message is straightforward, and the story is simple, but the delivery is well done through its heartfelt performances and the subtle progression of Iris and Apollo’s therapeutic bond.