There are three great performances in "The Friend," and only two of them are from humans.

Naomi Watts leads this sharp, buoyant drama about life, death and companionship. She plays Iris, the best friend and onetime lover of Walter (Bill Murray), a New York writer who takes his own life and leaves his Great Dane, Apollo, to be cared for by Iris.

That Great Dane — Bing is his name — gives "The Friend's" third excellent performance, nailing every emotional nuance required of him just by looking up at the camera with his soft, mournful eyes, one hazel and one blue. "The Friend" wouldn't be the same movie without that knowing work from the canine, and in some instances he steals the movie out from underneath his (very decorated) co-stars.

"The Friend" is written and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel ("Bee Season"), who give this story an emotional warmth that never feels cheap or falsely sentimental. The thrice-married Walter's death happens very early in the film but his presence is felt throughout, and his character continues to evolve over the course of the story, even in his absence. It's a credit to the measured screenplay and Murray's ability to do a lot with limited screen time.

Iris is not a dog person and she lives in a rent-controlled apartment in Manhattan that doesn't allow dogs. This causes an issue when she's suddenly saddled with Apollo, who's the size of a small pony.

Felix Solis is Hektor, the building super who warns Iris she faces eviction if she doesn't get rid of the dog. She doesn't want to put Apollo in a shelter, because of what he meant to Walter and because of what Walter meant to her.

"The Friend" takes a nuanced look at loss and grieving, as well as the role pets play in our lives, providing emotional support just by their mere presence. We assign a lot of feelings to these creatures, but they give back to us in tiny ways, seemingly knowing just what we need, when we need it. We can't imagine our lives without them, and we wonder what our deaths might mean to them.

Plenty of movies exploit or simplify our relationships with pets, dogs in particular, in order to tug at our heartstrings. That's not "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.

———

'THE FRIEND'

Grade: B+

MPA rating: R (for language including a sexual reference)

Running time: 2:00

How to watch: Now in theaters

———

©2025 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.