The official trailer for The Friend introduces Iris (Naomi Watts), a writer whose life is upended when her late friend and mentor Walter (Bill Murray) leaves her Apollo, his enormous Great Dane. Adapted from Sigrid Nunez’s novel, the 2025 film follows Iris as she navigates grief, an apartment that may not welcome a dog, and an unexpected bond with Apollo.
What is The Friend about?
Walter’s bequest brings Apollo into Iris’s quiet New York life. The dog’s size and behavior create practical problems, including damage to furniture and the threat of eviction, while Iris is still coping with Walter’s death. The setup makes this a grief-and-companionship drama with comic elements, rather than a conventional dog comedy.
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Apollo is described in distributor materials as a roughly 150-pound Great Dane. The official synopsis and trailer establish the film’s central tension: Iris must find a place for the dog in her home and life while mourning the person who left him to her.
Who made the film, and who is in it?
Scott McGehee and David Siegel wrote and directed The Friend. Naomi Watts plays Iris, and Bill Murray plays Walter. Ann Dowd is also among the film’s stars; Bing, the Great Dane credited in promotional material, plays Apollo. Bing is the dog actor, not the character’s name.
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Is The Friend based on a book?
Yes. The film adapts Sigrid Nunez’s 2018 novel, also titled The Friend. Penguin Random House describes the book as a story of a woman who loses her lifelong friend and mentor and unexpectedly takes responsibility for his Great Dane, while facing grief and a dog-prohibited apartment building. The novel won the 2018 National Book Award for Fiction. It is listed in paperback and audio formats by Penguin Random House.
The film and novel share the premise and central characters, but the available official descriptions do not establish a detailed account of changes made for the screen. Readers seeking the original story can start with Nunez’s novel.
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When can you watch The Friend?
Release dates and access depend on territory and format. The distributors list these specific details:
| Market or source | What it lists |
|---|---|
| Mongrel Media territory | Theatrical release on 4 April 2025; 120-minute English-language drama. |
| Australia | Cinema release on 31 July 2025, according to Maslow Entertainment. |
| New Zealand | Release on 7 August 2025, according to Maslow Entertainment. |
| Bleecker Street | Currently describes the film as available to rent or own on demand; this does not establish subscription-streaming availability or access in every country. |
For current viewing options, check local cinema listings and digital retailers. A rental or purchase listing is not the same as inclusion in a subscription service, and availability can vary by country.
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What does the trailer suggest about the film’s tone?
The premise puts grief beside the unruly realities of living with a very large dog. Distributor Maslow Entertainment classifies the film as comedy/drama in its territory, while Mongrel Media lists it as a drama. Those labels support a mix of emotional and comic material, but do not promise a broad, conventional dog-centered comedy.
In Associated Press reporting published on 1 April 2025, co-director David Siegel described the human-animal connection as a source of solace: “How creatures find each other – what we share with other humans but also animals – that’s where the solace comes from.” AP also quoted Murray saying, “Dogs have a pretty good sense of who’s OK.” These are remarks reported by AP, not dialogue established as part of the film.
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