This is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that jointly caring for a pet following a split is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such setups hinder ex-partners from healing, cause practical headaches, lead to tension, and become annoying across the board. As it turns out, and in a twist suited to a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to the canine in question to feel down.
While respecting the mental health of dogs – pet parents speak of their profound sensitivity. If you need masterclass in canine melancholy, one need only look recent cinema. It seems certain that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix brought to life by Gus the Dog, would find it difficult adapting to split households. If this concept a full holiday film on this conflict holds water remains debatable at best.A Familiar Formula
To its credit, Merv, crafted by the writing duo and directed by director Swale, doesn't pretend to be more profound than its premise. We have here a seasonal offering from a streaming platform giant – the depth is limited. The narrative is destined to be simple and direct: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, forced to acknowledge that their post-breakup gloom is matched by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a luxury pet hotel. At this location, predictably, they will surely rediscover the idea that they should reunite. The supporting cast – featuring a group of comedic actors – are crafted as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. The film's look is reminiscent of a branded content, with a holiday backdrop that is visibly contrived – think fake snow piled on green trees as North Carolina stands in for a cold December city.
The Canine Charisma
If these standard ingredients come together into an entertaining watch rests upon the actors' work and one's taste for comfort viewing. Regarding the second aspect, Merv knows its audience – those people who browse regularly for pet content. The film delivers a wealth of canine-centric sequences. The primary selling point is the canine star, and though it results in some stilted moments between what the dog does and human reaction, the movie succeeds in showing canine party antics, pet moping, and, in the end, pure puppy happiness.
The Human Element
The same praise cannot be applied for the interpersonal drama. Its style vacillates between relationship drama, broad humor, formulaic romance, and outright slapstick, failing to master a consistent feel. The fault lies not with the actor playing Russ, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward demanded of the dog resort scenario. Cox exhibits a likable self-deprecation that supplies a significant portion of the appeal for this seemingly ideal couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, imparts a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal comes across as a touch too detached, especially when contrasted against Cox's vulnerable performance. (For what it's worth, the canine performer is convincing at flopping and whining – while no a canine thespian of that caliber, he remains a scene-stealer.)
The film attempts to provide depth to Anna and Russ's relationship for sequences focusing solely on them – a regrettable choice, given that the dog is by far the best part of this feel-good picture. As one might predict, it meets the bare minimum. The cause for the split could have been more adult and realistic with less exposition and fewer direct statements. Ultimately, Merv is slight and sweet, fulfilling precisely what you anticipate. Crafting a story with this canine conflict isn't a bad idea – even if it's not exactly a great one either.
- Merv streams on Amazon Prime Video starting December 10.
