This is a widely held belief for numerous people that co-parenting a dog post-separation is a terrible idea. Experts frequently claim such arrangements impede individuals from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, spark arguments, and prove frustrating for all parties. Apparently, in a revelation suited to a streaming movie, it can even cause our furry friends to feel down.
Without minimizing the mental health of animals – many owners speak of their remarkable empathy. To witness a prime example in canine melancholy, consider a past film. I firmly believe that a dog of Merv's nature, a spirited little dog played by a talented dog named Gus, would have a hard time coping with split households. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom on such a setup holds water remains rather doubtful.Standard Holiday Fare
Honestly, Merv, written by the writing duo and directed by Jessica Swale, doesn't pretend to be deeper than its premise. We have here a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the complexity remains surface-level. The narrative is destined to be simple and direct: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, realizing that their post-breakup gloom is rivaled only by their dog's, decide on a therapeutic trip to a luxury pet hotel. There, inevitably, they will surely rediscover the idea that they belong with each other. Ensemble players – featuring a group of comedic actors – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. The film's look carries the feel of a branded content, with a wintry atmosphere that is clearly manufactured – think flurries piled on verdant foliage as a summer location stands in for the Northeast.
The Canine Charisma
How these predictable parts merge into a pleasant experience hinges on the execution and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. For the comfort factor, Merv knows its audience – the kind who scroll endlessly for pet content. Audiences receive a plethora of scenes focused on the pet. The main attraction is the dog, and even if it causes some stilted moments between what the dog does and the actors' responses, the movie delivers on canine party antics, dog depression, and, in the end, pure puppy happiness.
The Two-Legged Cast
This level of success cannot be applied for the human side of the story. The film's approach vacillates between serious study, broad humor, standard rom-com beats, and outright slapstick, not quite landing any one mode. No blame falls on Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward inherent in the unusual premise. He brings a charming humility that offers a significant portion of the appeal for this ostensibly perfect couple. Anna's portrayer, true to her usual style, injects a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal seems a little too aloof, especially when contrasted against Cox's genuine sadness. (It should be noted, Gus the Dog manages looking despondent – he may not be a canine thespian of that caliber, he is still an excellent dog.)
Merv tries to give weight to the central romance for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, given that Merv is by far the cutest element of this film designed for charm. Unsurprisingly, it achieves only baseline competence. The reason for the split could have been more nuanced with less exposition and less blunt explanation. Ultimately, Merv is gentle and pleasant, meeting all its marks. Making a film on this shared-custody premise is not terrible – but it's not exactly a great one either.
- Merv streams on Amazon Prime Video this December.
