This is a common warning for numerous people that co-parenting a dog after a breakup is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such arrangements hinder individuals from healing, create logistical nightmares, lead to tension, and are a nuisance across the board. As it turns out, and in a twist fit for a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause our furry friends to become depressed.
Without minimizing the inner life of dogs – countless people attest to their profound sensitivity. To witness a masterclass in dog sorrow, one need only look another performance. I firmly believe that a dog such as Merv, a spirited little dog played by Gus the Dog, would find it difficult adapting to divided living arrangements. If this concept an entire Christmas romance around this situation is sustainable remains rather doubtful.Standard Holiday Fare
Fairness demands noting, Merv, the work of its screenwriters and helmed by Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims deeper than a light film. It functions as a seasonal offering from a corporate studio – the complexity is limited. The plot unfolds as straightforward: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their own sadness is rivaled only by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a luxury pet hotel. Once there, as expected, they will presumably realize the idea that they should reunite. Side characters – played by Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – serve as the usual assortment of types. The film's look has the quality of a platform's in-house production, with a holiday backdrop that is clearly manufactured – as seen in flurries clinging to green trees as a summer location doubles as the Northeast.
Where the Film Shines
Whether these standard ingredients coalesce into something enjoyable rests upon the execution and one's taste for easy entertainment. For the comfort factor, Merv targets a specific viewer – the kind who browse regularly for cute animal clips. Audiences receive a wealth of scenes focused on the pet. The primary selling point is the dog, and even if it causes some stilted moments between what the dog does and people's faces, the movie delivers on canine party antics, canine sorrow, and, in the end, pure puppy happiness.
The Two-Legged Cast
The same praise is not earned for the human side of the story. Its style vacillates between emotional depth, zany antics, standard rom-com beats, and physical comedy, not quite landing a single genre. The fault lies not with Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the silliness and cringe required by the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a charming humility that provides a significant portion of the appeal for this ostensibly perfect couple. Anna's portrayer, in her typical fashion, injects a particular brand of eccentricity that will click for some but not others. The character can feel a touch too detached, notably when contrasted against Cox's vulnerable performance. (For what it's worth, the canine performer is convincing at looking despondent – not quite the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he remains a very good boy.)
Merv tries to add substance to the central romance for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, since the dog is undoubtedly the cutest element of this film designed for charm. Expectedly, it just about gets by. The cause for the split would feel more nuanced with greater exploration and fewer direct statements. In the end, Merv is gentle and pleasant, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Crafting a story on this shared-custody premise isn't a bad idea – but it's hardly a great one either.
- Merv becomes available on Prime Video on December 10th.
