Our Friend (2019)

★ 7.2 2h 4m 353 votes IMDb

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.

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Cast

Dakota Johnson as Nicole Teague Age 36 · Austin, Texas, USA Dakota Mayi Johnson (born October 4, 1989) is an American actress. The daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, Johnson made her film debut at age ten with a minor role in Crazy in Alabama...

Casey Affleck as Matthew Teague Age 50 · Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA Casey Affleck (born Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt; August 12, 1975) is an American actor. He receives various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Glob...

Jason Segel as Dane Faucheux Age 46 · Los Angeles, California, USA Jason Jordan Segel (born January 18, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Marshall Eriksen in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother from 2005 to 2014. He began his career with d...

Cherry Jones as Faith Pruett Age 69 · Paris, Tennessee, USA Cherry Jones (born November 21, 1956) is an American actress. Having started her career in theatre as a founding member of the American Repertory Theatre in 1980, she then transitioned into film and t...

Jake Owen as Aaron

Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite

Cast Dakota Johnson, Casey Affleck, Jason Segel, Cherry Jones, Jake Owen, Denée Benton, Gwendoline Christie, Reed Diamond, Isabella Kai, Violet McGraw

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots 3/10 Mar 09, 2021

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