It is a widely held belief in certain circles that sharing custody a pet post-separation is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such situations hinder individuals from moving forward, cause practical headaches, lead to tension, and are a nuisance for all parties. As it turns out, as a development fit for a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to the canine in question to become depressed.
Without minimizing the emotional well-being of our pets – countless people speak of their profound sensitivity. If you need prime example in canine melancholy, one need only look a past film. It seems certain that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix brought to life by the canine actor Gus, would find it difficult adapting to split households. If this concept a feature-length romcom around this situation works effectively seems rather doubtful.Predictable Foundations
Honestly, Merv, the work of the writing duo and under the guidance of Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than a light film. This is a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the ambitions are modest. The plot unfolds as straightforward: a separated couple Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their own sadness is rivaled only by their dog's, embark on a therapeutic trip to a luxury pet hotel. Once there, as expected, they will surely stumble toward the idea that they belong with each other. The supporting cast – including familiar faces – are crafted as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Its aesthetic carries the feel of a streaming service original, with a holiday backdrop that is visibly contrived – as seen in obvious snow effects surrounding green trees as a summer location stands in for the Northeast.
The Canine Charisma
If these standard ingredients come together into an entertaining watch depends on the execution and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. For the comfort factor, Merv knows its audience – the kind who seek out for pet content. Audiences receive a series of adorable dog montages. The primary selling point is the dog, and while this leads to some stilted moments between animal action and the actors' responses, the movie succeeds in showing canine party antics, pet moping, and, in the end, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Two-Legged Cast
This level of success cannot be applied for the human side of the story. The tone vacillates between emotional depth, zany antics, standard rom-com beats, and outright slapstick, not quite landing any one mode. The fault lies not with Charlie Cox, who is fully game the silliness and cringe required by the dog resort scenario. He brings a charming humility that supplies the bulk of the chemistry for this ostensibly perfect couple. Zooey Deschanel, as is her trademark, injects a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. The character comes across as a touch too detached, especially when contrasted against Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, the canine performer manages acting depressed – not quite the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he's definitely a very good boy.)
The film attempts to give weight to the central romance for moments when the dog is absent – which is unfortunate, given that Merv is by far the most adorable aspect of this film designed for charm. Unsurprisingly, it just about gets by. The cause for the split could have been more nuanced with more screen time and less blunt explanation. Ultimately, Merv is slight and sweet, meeting precisely what you anticipate. Crafting a story about dog co-parenting isn't a bad idea – even if it's hardly a stroke of genius.
- Merv premieres on Amazon Prime Video starting December 10.
