The Westminster Kennel Club hosted a special screening of “The Friend” at the Anjelika Film Center, with one of the film’s stars in attendance. Bing the Great Dane, who plays Apollo to perfection in the movie, eagerly greeted guests before the film (and deservedly earned a few cookies for good behavior in return).
“The Friend” is directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel and adapted from Sigrid Nunez’s best-selling novel of the same title. The story follows Iris, played by Naomi Watts, who is grieving the loss of her friend Walter (Bill Murray).
In the story, Walter dies and leaves behind Bing, who is no small pup, weighing in at an impressive 150 pounds. As you may have guessed, Iris abruptly becomes a dog owner, and her current rent-controlled apartment isn’t conducive to big-dog life. (The landlord isn’t exactly crazy about the idea, either.) As the plotline immediately looks to solve “What’s gonna happen to the dog?” it ultimately explores all the unanswered questions left in the wake of the death of a loved one.
The film will certainly strike a chord with dog lovers, but be sure to bring tissues–it’s a tear-jerker! The setting of the film is especially enjoyable. There is plenty of beautiful New York City scenery, and the depiction of apartment life is spot on.
The screening was one of the planned events leading up to next year’s upcoming 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. If you’ve never been to the show, there are plenty of reasons to check it out.
“The Friend” is now showing at Lincoln Square 13 and Anjelika Film Center in New York and in select theaters nationwide beginning April 4th. A list of theaters and dates can be found here.
