It is a widely held belief in certain circles that jointly caring for a canine companion following a split is a terrible idea. Experts frequently claim such setups impede individuals from moving forward, lead to scheduling chaos, spark arguments, and prove frustrating for everyone involved. Seemingly, as a development suited to a streaming movie, it also makes the dogs themselves to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the emotional well-being of our pets – pet parents attest to their remarkable empathy. To witness a masterclass in dog sorrow, one need only look another performance. It seems certain that a dog like Merv, a wired-hair terrier mix played by a talented dog named Gus, would struggle adapting to split households. If this concept an entire Christmas romance around this situation works effectively remains debatable at best.A Familiar Formula
To its credit, Merv, the work of its screenwriters and directed by playwright Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims deeper than what it is. It functions as a holiday release from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the complexity is limited. The narrative proves to be uncomplicated: former spouses Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, realizing that their post-breakup gloom is surpassed by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a dog-friendly resort. At this location, predictably, they will surely realize the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – including a group of comedic actors – are crafted as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. The film's look has the quality of a streaming service original, with a wintry atmosphere that is visibly contrived – as seen in obvious snow effects clinging to green trees as a warm climate doubles as a cold December city.
Where the Film Shines
How these standard ingredients merge into something enjoyable rests upon the strength of the performances and one's taste for easy entertainment. On the latter point, Merv hones in on a demographic – individuals who browse regularly for cute animal clips. It provides a series of adorable dog montages. The main attraction is the canine star, and even if it causes some stilted moments between animal action and people's faces, the movie delivers on canine party antics, pet moping, and, ultimately, pure puppy happiness.
The Human Element
This level of success does not extend for the human side of the story. Its style shifts uneasily between relationship drama, broad humor, standard rom-com beats, and silly gags, never fully committing to a consistent feel. The fault lies not with Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the humiliating and funny demanded of the unusual premise. Cox exhibits a endearing lack of ego that provides a significant portion of the appeal for this ostensibly perfect couple. Her co-star Deschanel, as is her trademark, injects a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal can feel a touch too detached, particularly when alongside Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (For what it's worth, Gus the Dog manages acting depressed – not quite Messi from that acclaimed drama, he remains a very good boy.)
Merv tries to add substance to the central romance for sequences focusing solely on them – a regrettable choice, considering the title character is easily the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. Expectedly, it just about gets by. The cause for their separation could have been more grounded and mature with less exposition and fewer direct statements. Ultimately, Merv is gentle and pleasant, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie with this canine conflict is not terrible – but it's hardly a stroke of genius.
- Merv streams on the Amazon platform starting December 10.
