It is a common warning among many that sharing custody a dog following a split is a terrible idea. The consensus suggests such arrangements impede individuals from finding closure, cause practical headaches, lead to tension, and become annoying for everyone involved. Apparently, in a revelation worthy of a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to the canine in question to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the mental health of animals – countless people attest to their deep emotional capacity. If you need standout portrayal in dog sorrow, one need only look a past film. I firmly believe that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix portrayed by a talented dog named Gus, would have a hard time adapting to split households. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom on such a setup works effectively remains debatable at best.Standard Holiday Fare
Honestly, Merv, crafted by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and directed by playwright Jessica Swale, doesn't pretend to be deeper than a light film. It functions as a seasonal offering from a streaming platform giant – the depth remains surface-level. Its storyline unfolds as uncomplicated: a separated couple Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, forced to acknowledge that their individual funk is matched by their dog's, embark on a uplifting getaway to a dog-friendly resort. There, inevitably, they will presumably rediscover the idea that they should reunite. Side characters – featuring familiar faces – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Visually has the quality of a streaming service original, with a Christmas setting that is obviously artificial – as seen in flurries surrounding green trees as North Carolina stands in for a wintery Boston.
The Dog's Domain
How these predictable parts come together into a pleasant experience rests upon the actors' work and one's taste for easy entertainment. On the latter point, Merv targets a specific viewer – those people who seek out for cute animal clips. The film delivers a plethora of scenes focused on the pet. The central draw is Merv himself, and though it results in some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and people's faces, the movie delivers on walking sequences, canine sorrow, and, finally, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Two-Legged Cast
Such effectiveness cannot be applied for the human side of the story. Its style vacillates between emotional depth, wacky comedy, predictable love story, and physical comedy, not quite landing any one mode. This is not Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward demanded of the dog resort scenario. He brings a likable self-deprecation that supplies the bulk of the chemistry for this on-the-rocks couple. Zooey Deschanel, as is her trademark, brings a certain millennial quirkiness that will click for some but not others. Her Anna comes across as a touch too detached, especially when alongside Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, the canine performer is convincing at acting depressed – he may not be a canine thespian of that caliber, he remains a scene-stealer.)
The story strives to provide depth to the central romance for moments when the dog is absent – a regrettable choice, given that the title character is easily the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. Unsurprisingly, it just about gets by. The catalyst for their original breakup might seem more nuanced with greater exploration and more subtle storytelling. As it stands, Merv is gentle and pleasant, meeting every expected note. Crafting a story with this canine conflict isn't a bad idea – even if it's not exactly a great one either.
- Merv premieres on the Amazon platform on December 10th.
