Our Friend

Grounding in real experience takes the movie in a direction that isn't phony or romantic or exploitative, like most illness movies. Instead, it's recognizably human and odd.

The Friend is a misfire all the way around.

It's a small-scale human story, precious few of which make it to film these days. It's also, if you're in the market for that kind of thing, an extremely effective tearjerker.

A movie that maddeningly realigns itself every five minutes.

Try reading the article instead.

"The Friend" is not an inspirational essay, and how dare they turn it into that kind of movie?

This lovely, finely tuned, brutally honest portrait of a marriage, a family and friend that went through something terrible...will make you weep. But you'll feel good about the tears.

Turns a personal, visceral account of death and compassion into a garden-variety weepie, often sidelining the unique aspects of the story in favor of familiar maudlin sentiment.

The first great movie of 2021.

A beautiful and heartwarming film with superb performances. There are plenty of watery-eyed moments but this is not your average tear-jerker but a celebration of life.