This is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that sharing custody a dog after a breakup is a terrible idea. Most will argue such arrangements prevent individuals from healing, create logistical nightmares, fuel disputes, and prove frustrating for everyone involved. As it turns out, in a revelation suited to a streaming movie, it can even cause our furry friends to feel down.
While respecting the inner life of animals – countless people observe their remarkable empathy. If you need prime example in pet despair, simply recall another performance. I firmly believe that a dog such as Merv, a scruffy terrier type brought to life by the canine actor Gus, would find it difficult adjusting to divided living arrangements. If this concept a full holiday film on this conflict works effectively seems debatable at best.Predictable Foundations
Fairness demands noting, Merv, the work of Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and directed by Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims more profound than its premise. This is a Christmas movie from a streaming platform giant – the complexity remains surface-level. Its storyline proves to be uncomplicated: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, realizing that their own sadness is matched by their dog's, take a cheer-up vacation to a dog-friendly resort. Once there, as expected, they will surely stumble toward the idea that they should reunite. Side characters – including a group of comedic actors – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. The film's look has the quality of a platform's in-house production, with a Christmas setting that is visibly contrived – think flurries clinging to verdant foliage as a summer location doubles as the Northeast.
Where the Film Shines
If these familiar elements merge into an entertaining watch rests upon the actors' work and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. Regarding the second aspect, Merv knows its audience – those people who browse regularly for cute animal clips. Audiences receive a plethora of adorable dog montages. The central draw is the canine star, and while this leads to some stilted moments between animal action and people's faces, the movie does offer canine party antics, dog depression, and, ultimately, doggie joy.
The Two-Legged Cast
The same praise is not earned for the human side of the story. The film's approach shifts uneasily between relationship drama, wacky comedy, standard rom-com beats, and silly gags, failing to master any one mode. This is not Cox's performance, who is fully game the absurd and awkward inherent in the unusual premise. Cox exhibits a charming humility that supplies the bulk of the chemistry for this seemingly ideal couple. Her co-star Deschanel, as is her trademark, brings a particular brand of eccentricity that will click for some but not others. The character can feel a bit too dry, notably when alongside Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (For what it's worth, Gus the Dog succeeds in flopping and whining – he may not be Messi from that acclaimed drama, he is still an excellent dog.)
The story strives to provide depth to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – a regrettable choice, since the dog is undoubtedly the most adorable aspect of this film designed for charm. Unsurprisingly, it meets the bare minimum. The reason for their original breakup might seem more grounded and mature with greater exploration and less blunt explanation. In the end, Merv is gentle and pleasant, hitting every expected note. Creating a movie with this canine conflict is not terrible – but it's not exactly a great one either.
- Merv streams on Prime Video on December 10th.
