This is a widely held belief in certain circles that sharing custody a dog after a breakup is a terrible idea. Experts frequently claim such arrangements hinder individuals from healing, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and become annoying for everyone involved. As it turns out, in a revelation worthy of a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause the canine in question to feel down.
While respecting the mental health of our pets – pet parents observe their remarkable empathy. To witness a standout portrayal in dog sorrow, one need only look another performance. It seems certain that a dog of Merv's nature, a scruffy terrier type portrayed by the canine actor Gus, would find it difficult adapting to divided living arrangements. The idea of basing a feature-length romcom on this conflict works effectively seems debatable at best.Standard Holiday Fare
To its credit, Merv, written by its screenwriters and directed by Jessica Swale, never aspires to be more profound than a light film. This is a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the depth are modest. Its storyline is destined to be straightforward: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their individual funk is matched by their dog's, embark on a uplifting getaway to a luxury pet hotel. Once there, as expected, they will undoubtedly stumble toward the idea that they should reunite. The supporting cast – played by familiar faces – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Visually has the quality of a platform's in-house production, with a wintry atmosphere that is visibly contrived – think flurries piled on green trees as a summer location doubles as a cold December city.
The Canine Charisma
How these familiar elements merge into something enjoyable depends on the execution and one's taste for comfort viewing. For the comfort factor, Merv targets a specific viewer – the kind who scroll endlessly for cute animal clips. The film delivers a wealth of adorable dog montages. The central draw is the canine star, and though it results in some awkward editing between the pet's "lines" and the actors' responses, the movie does offer dog beach fun, pet moping, and, finally, a tail-wagging resolution.
Where It Wobbles
This level of success does not extend for the interpersonal drama. Its style vacillates between relationship drama, broad humor, predictable love story, and silly gags, failing to master a single genre. No blame falls on Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward inherent in the bizarre setting. Cox exhibits a likable self-deprecation that offers the bulk of the chemistry for this seemingly ideal couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, brings a particular brand of eccentricity that will click for some but not others. Her portrayal comes across as a little too aloof, notably when alongside Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, the canine performer succeeds in flopping and whining – while no Messi from that acclaimed drama, he's definitely an excellent dog.)
The story strives to give weight to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – a bit of a pity, since the title character is by far the cutest element of this film designed for charm. As one might predict, it just about gets by. The reason for the split might seem more nuanced with greater exploration and more subtle storytelling. In the end, Merv is light and sugary, hitting every expected note. Creating a movie with this canine conflict is not terrible – even if it's hardly a great one either.
- Merv becomes available on the Amazon platform starting December 10.
