Diamond’s are a girl’s best friend…after Great Danes.

That is what The Friend, a new movie from Bleecker Street, would have us believe. The indie dramedy stars Naomi Watts as Iris, who receives an unusual (and at first unwelcome) inheritance when her mentor Walter (Bill Murray) passes away: a 150 lb. Great Dane named Apollo.

The synopsis says, “The regal yet intractable beast, named Apollo, immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones, his looming presence constantly reminding her of her friend’s problematic choices in both life and death. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with the animal, she begins to come to terms with her past, her lost friend, and her own creative inner life.”

Scott McGhee and David Siegel directed and adapted the book of the same title by Sigrid Nunez, which won the 2018 National Book Award.

The trailer shows all Iris and Apollo attempting to cohabit in Iris’s tiny New York apartment, with hilarious and not-so-hilarious results. The Friend also stars Sarah Pidgeon, Constance Wu, Ann Dowd, Noma Dumezweni, Felix Solis, Owen Teague and Carla Gugino.

The Friend screened at the Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival in fall of 2024 and will debut in theaters in New York City on March 28th and across the country April 4th.