This is a common warning among many that sharing custody a pet after a breakup is a terrible idea. Experts frequently claim such setups hinder individuals from finding closure, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and prove frustrating across the board. Apparently, in a revelation suited to a streaming movie, it can even cause the canine in question to become depressed.
Not to downplay the emotional well-being of our pets – pet parents observe their remarkable empathy. If you need standout portrayal in pet despair, one need only look recent cinema. There is little doubt that a dog of Merv's nature, a scruffy terrier type portrayed by Gus the Dog, would have a hard time coping with divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom on such a setup is sustainable remains a questionable prospect.A Familiar Formula
Fairness demands noting, Merv, written by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and directed by Jessica Swale, doesn't pretend to be anything more than a light film. This is a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the depth remains surface-level. The narrative proves to be straightforward: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their individual funk is surpassed by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a luxury pet hotel. At this location, predictably, they will presumably stumble toward the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – featuring a group of comedic actors – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look carries the feel of a branded content, with a wintry atmosphere that is clearly manufactured – as seen in flurries surrounding verdant foliage as a summer location doubles as the Northeast.
The Dog's Domain
How these familiar elements merge into a pleasant experience hinges on the actors' work and the viewer's appetite for cinematic comfort food. Regarding the second aspect, Merv hones in on a demographic – those people who browse regularly for pet content. It provides a plethora of scenes focused on the pet. The main attraction is the canine star, and even if it causes some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and human reaction, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, dog depression, and, in the end, pure puppy happiness.
Where It Wobbles
Such effectiveness does not extend for the romantic plot. Its style wavers between emotional depth, broad humor, predictable love story, and outright slapstick, never fully committing to a single genre. This is not Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the humiliating and funny demanded of the dog resort scenario. Cox exhibits a endearing lack of ego that offers a significant portion of the appeal for this seemingly ideal couple. Zooey Deschanel, as is her trademark, imparts a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. The character can feel a touch too detached, notably when contrasted against Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (It should be noted, the canine performer succeeds in acting depressed – while no the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he remains an excellent dog.)
Merv tries to add substance to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, considering the title character is by far the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. Expectedly, it just about gets by. The catalyst for their original breakup could have been more grounded and mature with less exposition and fewer direct statements. As it stands, Merv is light and sugary, meeting every expected note. Making a film about dog co-parenting isn't a bad idea – but I wouldn't call it a stroke of genius.
- Merv becomes available on Prime Video on December 10th.
