Our Friend
Release date: 2019-09-04
Votes: 330
Genres: Drama, Romance
After learning that his terminally ill wife has six months to live, a man welcomes the support of his best friend who moves into their home to help out.
Reviews
Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots
2020 was a tough year and 2021 isn’t starting out much better, so it’s poor timing for a studio to release a tearjerker like “Our Friend.” Movies about terminal illness are never fun to watch, but this one is such a downer that it may serve as an unwanted depressant for even the most upbeat viewers. Based on an award-winning Esquire magazine article, the film tells the true story of journalist Matt Teague (Casey Affleck) and his actress wife Nicole (Dakota Johnson), who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Seeing his best friend coping with a dying wife and struggling to be a good father to his two young daughters (Violet McGraw, Isabella Kai), Dane (Jason Segel) puts his own life on hold and moves in with Matt and Nicole to support them through the roughest of times. It’s a true gesture of steadfast friendship, with Dane standing by the family until the end. If this sounds like a bittersweet heartwarming story of devotion, it (mostly) is. The story is told in non-linear segments that travel through time and give us a glimpse of how things developed and how they eventually ended. The most horrific parts of Teague’s article are omitted from the film, with director Gabriela Cowperthwaite choosing instead to go the inspirational route. The sugar-coating feels phony and insincere, and even with knockout performances from the three leads, it’s still a huge downer. It’s a given that Affleck is always powerful in roles like this, but Segel is the real surprise. He gives Dane a sadness and empathy that feels real and is unexpected for an actor who has never shown such depth. A brief supporting turn from Cherry Jones as a home hospice nurse is the most memorable performance, showing a beautiful (and realistic) sympathy towards her client. I suppose “Our Friend” would be a solid drama for those looking to empty an entire box of Kleenex, but it’s a tough sell in times like these. It’s a story of humanity and friendship that isn’t as uplifting as it sounds, but there’s still a glimmer of joy to be found. By: Louisa Moore
Movie Recommendation
Blackout Love2022-09-13Valeria is a woman who never looks back, passing from one man to another. But one day everything changes: an ex who made her feel bad in the past reappears in her life.More...
Christina P: Mom Genes2022-05-08Comedian Christina P examines the joys and drags of parenting, partnering and more through a no-nonsense Gen-X lens in this special.More...
Soledad2018-09-20Love and Anarchy is a dramatic love story based on true events. Two lovers immersed in a repressive political context. A government that portrays them as criminals and the people who regard them as anarchist heroes.More...
All the World Is Sleeping2023-03-17Fighting for her own life and the ones she loves, a Chicana in New Mexico sinks deeper into her addiction while struggling to surface for her daughter.More...
Just Buried2007-09-09A young man inherits a nearly bankrupt funeral home from his estranged father. He falls in love with the alluring young mortician, only to find out she's offing people to keep the place in business!More...
Agent Revelation2021-01-22An ancient dust that controls humans is unleashed, but mysteriously affects Jim Yung who gains superpowers. Jim is taken to an underground base where he's trained to be an operative to take on an imminent alien threat and learn why aliens have returned to Earth.More...
October Gale2014-09-11A doctor takes in a mysterious man who washes ashore at her remote cottage with a gunshot wound. Quickly they both learn the killer has arrived to finish the job, while a storm has cut them off from the mainland.More...
We'll Never Have Paris2014-10-01Quinn, a neurotic man, is diagnosed with a harmless eye condition and soon after his life spirals out of control. He second-guesses his plans to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Devon, after his beautiful coworker, Kelsey, confesses that she has a crush on him. After a conversation with his best friend, Jameson, he clumsily tries to explain his doubts to Devon, but his possible proposal turns into a break-up. When Devon flees to Paris, he follows her in a last-ditch effort to win back "the one."More...
C'est magnifique !2022-06-01When Pierre learns that his parents are not his parents, he wants to find out who he is and where he comes from. Raised in nature, Pierre has never been confronted with society. He does not know the codes. He will team up with Anna who will help him in his quest and cross a whole gallery of characters as funny as tender. But during his investigation, Pierre will lose his colors – like a photo that fades.More...
Eungyo2012-04-25A reclusive elderly poet feels the fire of his youth when gamine schoolgirl Eun-gyo enters his life, to the chagrin of the old man's assistant.More...
Penguin Bloom2021-01-21When an unlikely ally enters the Bloom family's world in the form of an injured baby magpie they name Penguin, the bird’s arrival makes a profound difference in the struggling family’s life.More...
The Pack2015-08-05Man’s best friend becomes his worst nightmare when a horde of bloodthirsty wild dogs descends upon a family’s farmhouse in a fang-bearing fight for survival.More...
The Stendhal Syndrome1996-01-26A young policewoman slowly goes insane while tracking down an elusive serial rapist/killer through Italy when she herself becomes a victim of the brutal man's obsession.More...
Xico's Journey2020-11-12The peace of a small town is endangered when a corporation wants to destroy the mountain that protects them. A girl named Copi and her best friend Xico, a Xoloitzcuintle dog, will go into the mountains to try to save the town.More...
The White Helmets2016-09-16As daily airstrikes pound civilian targets in Syria, a group of indomitable first responders risk their lives to rescue victims from the rubble.More...
Silk Road2021-02-19Philosophical twenty-something Ross Ulbricht creates Silk Road, a dark net website that sells drugs, while DEA agent Rick Bowden goes undercover to bring him down.More...
Swing Kids1993-03-05The story of a close-knit group of young kids in Nazi Germany who listen to banned swing music from the US. Soon dancing and fun leads to more difficult choices as the Nazis begin tightening the grip on Germany. Each member of the group is forced to face some tough choices about right, wrong, and survival.More...
Our Father2022-05-11After a woman's at-home DNA test reveals multiple half-siblings, she discovers a shocking scheme involving donor sperm and a popular fertility doctor.More...
The Secrets We Keep2020-09-16In post-World War II America, a woman, rebuilding her life in the suburbs with her husband, kidnaps her neighbor and seeks vengeance for the heinous war crimes she believes he committed against her.More...
Rudderless2014-10-17A grieving father in a downward spiral stumbles across a box of his recently deceased son's demo tapes and lyrics. Shocked by the discovery of this unknown talent, he forms a band in the hope of finding some catharsis.More...
Similar Movies
Squatters
2014-05-14A wealthy couple from the Pacific Palisades discovers homeless young lovers have moved into their home.Friends
2016-01-15A dreamy man arrives in the city of Mumbai with many dreams and immediately falls in love with a girl, who turns out to be his best friend's sister. Will he be forced to sacrifice his love for the sake of friendship?Gandhi
1982-12-01In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.Kolya
1996-05-15After a fictitious marriage with a Russian emigrant, Cellisten Louka, a Czech man, must suddenly take responsibility for her son. However, it’s not long before the communication barrier is broken between the two new family members.Almost Famous
2000-09-15In 1973, 15-year-old William Miller's unabashed love of music and aspiration to become a rock journalist lands him an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to interview and tour with the up-and-coming band, Stillwater.Aladdin
1992-11-25In the boorish city of Agrabah, kind-hearted street urchin Aladdin and Princess Jasmine fall in love, although she can only marry a prince. He and power-hungry Grand Vizier Jafar vie for a magic lamp that can fulfill their wishes.Moulin Rouge!
2001-05-18A celebration of love and creative inspiration takes place in the infamous, gaudy and glamorous Parisian nightclub, at the cusp of the 20th century. A young poet, who is plunged into the heady world of Moulin Rouge, begins a passionate affair with the club's most notorious and beautiful star.The Bridge on the Riv...
1957-10-11The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson, the commander who supervised the bridge's construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans.In the Mood for Love
2000-09-29In 1962 Hong Kong, neighbors Su Li-zhen (Mrs. Chan) and Chow Mo-wan (Mr. Chow) discover their spouses are having an affair. As they spend time together, they develop feelings for each other, but their relationship remains chaste and unspoken, reflecting societal constraints and their own moral compass.Enemy at the Gates
2001-02-28A Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad in WWII.Saving Private Ryan
1998-07-24As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.Sleepless in Seattle
1993-06-24After the death of his mother, a young boy calls a radio station in an attempt to set his father up on a date. Talking about his father’s loneliness soon leads to a meeting with a young female journalist, who has flown to Seattle to write a story about the boy and his father.Basquiat
1996-08-09The brief life of Jean Michel Basquiat, a world renowned New York street artist struggling with fame, drugs and his identity.The Poseidon Adventur...
1972-12-01When their ocean liner capsizes, a group of passengers struggle to survive and escape.Dogville
2003-05-21A woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado community in exchange for labor, but when a search visits the town, she learns that their support has a price.The Cuckoo
2002-10-25September of 1944, a few days before Finland went out of the Second World War. A chained to a rock Finnish sniper-kamikadze Veikko managed to set himself free. Ivan, a captain of the Soviet Army, arrested by the Front Secret Police 'Smersh', has a narrow escape. They are soldiers of the two enemy armies. A Lapp woman Anni gives a shelter to both of them at her farm. For Anni they are not enemies, but just men.Apollo 13
1995-06-30The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.The Experiment
2001-03-0820 volunteers agree to take part in a seemingly well-paid experiment advertised by the university. It is supposed to be about aggressive behavior in an artificial prison situation. A journalist senses a story behind the ad and smuggles himself in among the test subjects. They are randomly divided into prisoners and guards. What seems like a game at the beginning soon turns into bloody seriousness.Dances with Wolves
1990-03-30Wounded Civil War soldier John Dunbar tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he's assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with the local Sioux tribe.The Terminal
2004-06-17An Eastern European tourist unexpectedly finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.