It is a widely held belief for numerous people that sharing custody a canine companion following a split is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such setups impede former couples from finding closure, cause practical headaches, lead to tension, and become annoying for everyone involved. Apparently, and in a twist fit for a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause the canine in question to feel down.
Without minimizing the mental health of our pets – countless people observe their profound sensitivity. If you need standout portrayal in pet despair, one need only look recent cinema. It seems certain that a dog of Merv's nature, a spirited little dog brought to life by a talented dog named Gus, would have a hard time adapting to divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom on such a setup holds water remains a questionable prospect.Predictable Foundations
To its credit, Merv, the work of the writing duo and helmed by director Swale, doesn't pretend to be anything more than its premise. We have here a Christmas movie from a streaming platform giant – the complexity is limited. The plot proves to be straightforward: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, realizing that their post-breakup gloom is matched by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a luxury pet hotel. There, inevitably, they will surely rediscover the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – played by Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – are crafted as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Its aesthetic has the quality of a streaming service original, with a Christmas setting that is clearly manufactured – as seen in flurries clinging to lush pines as North Carolina stands in for a wintery Boston.
Where the Film Shines
If these standard ingredients merge into a pleasant experience rests upon the actors' work and the viewer's appetite for comfort viewing. On the latter point, Merv hones in on a demographic – the kind who browse regularly for dog videos. Audiences receive a wealth of scenes focused on the pet. The main attraction is the canine star, and while this leads to some awkward editing between the pet's "lines" and human reaction, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, dog depression, and, in the end, a tail-wagging resolution.
Where It Wobbles
This level of success does not extend for the romantic plot. The tone vacillates between serious study, wacky comedy, formulaic romance, and silly gags, not quite landing a single genre. This is not Cox's performance, who is fully game the humiliating and funny inherent in the bizarre setting. His performance contains a charming humility that provides much of the film's charm for this on-the-rocks couple. Her co-star Deschanel, in her typical fashion, brings a distinctive offbeat energy that will click for some but not others. The character can feel a bit too dry, particularly when contrasted against Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, Merv himself is convincing at flopping and whining – while no the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he's definitely a very good boy.)
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 most adorable aspect of this feel-good picture. Unsurprisingly, it achieves only baseline competence. The cause for the split would feel more grounded and mature with less exposition and fewer direct statements. Ultimately, Merv is light and sugary, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Making a film about dog co-parenting is not terrible – but it's hardly a brilliant concept.
- Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video on December 10th.
