Our Friend is a movie that is based on the true story of the Teague family and their dear friend Dane — is it worth a watch?
I have to admit, movies that are based on a true story are almost always hit or miss for me. Especially when I go into the film knowing the true story. All too often they don’t do a decent enough job of bringing the story to the screen. That is what I expected from Our Friend going into it, but boy was I wrong. I was not expecting to be sucked in and hit with wave of emotion, after wave of emotion.
This movie stars Jason Segel as Dane, Casey Affleck as Matt, and Dakota Johnson as Nicole. To be honest, I was never thrilled with these casting choices. But I love Jason Segel so I decided to give it a shot.
For those of you that do not know, this story is about the Teagues – Matt and Nicole – and their friend Dane. When Nicole is diagnosed with cancer, Dane moves in to help out for a few weeks, and he never leaves. He is clearly a rock for the family and willing to do anything to help them get through this hard time.
What Worked With Our Friend
The Teagues have two young daughters and I think that is what got me while watching. As a mom of two girls myself, my mind kept wandering to what if. Which is not where I wanted it to go. That right there made me so much more invested in this movie than I ever expected to be. It felt like a story that could happen to my family, and knowing it is based on a true story made it hit even harder.
All three of the main actors did a fantastic job in their roles — which I honestly was not expecting to happen. Jason Segel is the perfect casting choice for Dane. He is positive, fun, quirky, and there for his friends when they need him. His smile made a lot of dark moments in the movie bright.
Dakota Johnson is a great choice for Nicole as she does a good job of showing her range of emotions having been diagnosed with cancer. Some of her moments with her daughters reminded me of moments with mine. And Casey Affleck, well let’s just say I was very pleasantly surprised with his take on Matt.
What Didn’t Work With Our Friend
Not everything worked for me with Our Friend, though. The first 45 minutes or so feels a bit slow and the pacing is off. There is a lot of back and forth which I wasn’t a fan of. However, the last hour of the film makes up for it.
Knowing the real story is a bit of a downfall going into this movie. They very much livened up the movie and some moments cheery and funny, which I don’t think tells the TRUE story of it all. Of course, if they had stuck to everything that really happened, the movie would be quite depressing and likely hard to get through.
Overall Thoughts
Our Friend is not a perfect movie by any means. However, it is worth a watch. It will likely make you hug your loved ones a bit harder — and if you have kids, especially them. As a mom of two daughters this hit me harder than it might hit others.
My best advice when you sit down to watch this movie? Have tissues handy. The end is going to hit you like a brick wall. I was not expecting to ugly cry for nearly an hour. This movie hit me right in the gut, even though I knew exactly what was coming.
About Our Friend
OUR FRIEND tells the inspiring and extraordinary true story of the Teague family – journalist Matt (Casey Affleck), his vibrant wife Nicole (Dakota Johnson) and their two young daughters – and how their lives are upended by Nicole’s heartbreaking diagnosis of terminal cancer.
As Matt’s responsibilities as caretaker and parent become increasingly overwhelming, the couple’s best friend Dane Faucheux (Jason Segel) offers to come and help out. As Dane puts his life on hold to stay with his friends, the impact of this life altering decision proves greater and more profound than anyone could have imagined.
Our Friend is heading to theaters and Video-On-Demand January 22nd.
