The Friend (2024) review

After writer/teacher Walter (Bill Murray) takes his own life, his friend (and former lover) Iris (Naomi Watts) inherits his Great Dane Apollo (played by Bing), which is a bit of a problem because her rent-controlled apartment forbids owning pets, so Iris has to find a place that will take him in ... oh, and the formidable-looking dog is kind of sad and misses his master.  This bloated puff piece might have worked on the page (it's adapted from the novel by Sigrid Nunez) but it doesn't on screen: Apollo is granted almost "mystical abilities" as it acts as a 'medium' between the living and the deceased, only responds to poems and literary pieces read aloud and his function is to "teach" a grieving Iris vital "lessons" (he also chews up an unfinished book she was stuck on).  Murray's character isn't on-screen long enough to learn much about him (the audience eventually learns he had multiple romantic partners), so the majority of it involves Iris dragging her pooch companion around with her.  The movie makes the mistake of mentioning "pacing issues" at one point - perhaps the filmmakers should have internalized that little note.