Tag: Naomi Watts in the Friend

If I had to choose only one movie favourite from all the ones I’d seen during TIFF, this one would be it.  Naomi Watts + Bill Murray in “THE FRIEND.”

I went to a “full-house” press screening of this International Premiere alone.  Even though Naomi Watts and Bill Murray (I love them both) get top billing, there’s no denying  the scene stealing Great Dane who should get an Oscar nomination for best performing canine in a movie.  Oh; they  don’t have a category for this? Maybe they should start one.

Boy, did this move hit all the right notes and left me feeling all the feels.  Like all great comedies, it also has an element of tragedy, so we can all relate. But I don’t want to give it all away.  I started to tell someone about the film and they said “no more please… I want to see this one and be surprised.”

I’ve included a synopsis from tiff below. You don’t have to be a dog lover to enjoy this movie.  Although if you are; you’ll find it even more endearing.

The character drama is based on the acclaimed novel by Sigrid Nunez and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel.

In a theatre filled with media types, I tried to pull myself together during several scenes – not always successfully, but from the sniffles and laughs I heard in the audience, at least I wasn’t alone.

Synopsis taken from tiff films + events list:

Iris (Watts) has had a long, complex friendship with Walter (Murray, also at this year’s Festival with Riff Raff).  Walter is an irresistible charmer, a brilliant author, a lover of many women, and a master at letting down loved ones. When he dies suddenly, Iris is left to deal with all he left behind — three ex-wives with unfinished business, his interrupted literary legacy, and his beloved beast Apollo (Bing). It’s not that Iris doesn’t like dogs, but this is Manhattan, and she’ll get kicked out of her building if they find out she’s pretty much trying to house a horse.

Watts delivers a career-best performance here, weaving New York confidence through the anxieties of a struggling writer, through her principled offence at how Walter treated his wives, and through encounters with the women themselves. Life is complicated, and McGehee and Siegel (Montana Story TIFF’21, What Maisie Knew, TIFF ’12, The Deep End), reflect that in their writing and in how they direct Watts. They also cast supporting actors of the calibre of Constance Wu, Ann Dowd, Noma Dumezweni, and Carla Gugino, who help create a film of both depth and lightness.

Until next year!