This is a story about grief, friendship, loneliness; a whole bunch of stuff in addition to it merely being a tale about a woman and the Great Dane she inherits.
This is one of those stories; you're going to be going down a pretty dark road here, so know that going in.
There are two absolutely exquisite performances here. And in particular, a sequence at the climax of the film, between the two stars, that is superb. it's extended; it's raw, it's real, and it's a damn gut punch. Great writing, and great artistry in the performances. Kudos to Bill Murray and even more to Naomi Watts.
I read the novel that serves as the source material; it won the National Book Award several years back. And so, I will NOT spoil the ending here for movie goers, but I will say to those that have read the novel; the ending here is both different, and equally well done.
A really fine film, for more than just the dog lovers out there. The Great Dane that worked in this was truly special.