It is a common warning among many that sharing custody a dog following a split is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such setups prevent former couples from healing, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and prove frustrating across the board. As it turns out, as a development suited to a direct-to-platform film, it also makes our furry friends to experience sadness.
Not to downplay the emotional well-being of animals – pet parents attest to their profound sensitivity. If you need prime example in pet despair, consider a past film. It seems certain that a dog such as Merv, a scruffy terrier type played by a talented dog named Gus, would have a hard time adjusting to divided living arrangements. If this concept a full holiday film on such a setup holds water remains rather doubtful.Standard Holiday Fare
To its credit, Merv, written by its screenwriters and helmed by Jessica Swale, never aspires to be more profound than what it is. This is a seasonal offering from a streaming platform giant – the ambitions remains surface-level. The narrative is destined to be uncomplicated: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, realizing that their individual funk is rivaled only by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will surely stumble toward the idea that they should reunite. Ensemble players – featuring Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – fulfill roles quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look is reminiscent of a platform's in-house production, with a holiday backdrop that is visibly contrived – as seen in flurries piled on lush pines as a warm climate substitutes for a cold December city.
The Dog's Domain
Whether these standard ingredients merge into something enjoyable hinges on the execution and the viewer's appetite for easy entertainment. For the comfort factor, Merv targets a specific viewer – those people who seek out for cute animal clips. The film delivers a plethora of adorable dog montages. The primary selling point is the dog, and even if it causes some clunky cuts between the pet's "lines" and the actors' responses, the movie succeeds in showing canine party antics, pet moping, and, finally, doggie joy.
Where It Wobbles
This level of success does not extend for the romantic plot. Its style shifts uneasily between serious study, zany antics, formulaic romance, and silly gags, not quite landing a consistent feel. No blame falls on Cox's performance, who is admirably committed the humiliating and funny demanded of the unusual premise. Cox exhibits a charming humility that offers the bulk of the chemistry for this seemingly ideal couple. Zooey Deschanel, as is her trademark, injects a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. The character comes across as a bit too dry, particularly when alongside Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (It should be noted, the canine performer manages acting depressed – he may not be Messi from that acclaimed drama, he's definitely an excellent dog.)
The film attempts to provide depth to Anna and Russ's relationship for sequences focusing solely on them – a regrettable choice, since the dog is easily the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. Expectedly, it achieves only baseline competence. The catalyst for their original breakup could have been more adult and realistic with greater exploration and less blunt explanation. In the end, Merv is slight and sweet, fulfilling every expected note. Crafting a story with this canine conflict isn't a bad idea – though I wouldn't call it a great one either.
- Merv premieres on Amazon Prime Video this December.
