This is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that sharing custody a dog following a split is a terrible idea. The consensus suggests such setups prevent former couples from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, lead to tension, and prove frustrating for all parties. As it turns out, and in a twist fit for a streaming movie, it can even cause the dogs themselves to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the mental health of our pets – pet parents speak of their deep emotional capacity. If you need standout portrayal in pet despair, consider recent cinema. It seems certain that a dog such as Merv, a spirited little dog portrayed by Gus the Dog, would find it difficult adjusting to divided living arrangements. The idea of basing an entire Christmas romance around this situation is sustainable remains rather doubtful.A Familiar Formula
Fairness demands noting, Merv, written by the writing duo and helmed by director Swale, never aspires to be deeper than what it is. This is a Christmas movie from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the depth are modest. The plot is destined to be uncomplicated: a separated couple Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their individual funk is surpassed by their dog's, decide on a therapeutic trip to a dog-friendly resort. There, inevitably, they will presumably rediscover the idea that they are better together. Side characters – played by familiar faces – are crafted as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Its aesthetic has the quality of a platform's in-house production, with a holiday backdrop that is obviously artificial – as seen in fake snow piled on lush pines as North Carolina substitutes for a cold December city.
The Dog's Domain
If these standard ingredients coalesce into something enjoyable depends on the actors' work and the viewer's appetite for easy entertainment. On the latter point, Merv targets a specific viewer – individuals who scroll endlessly for cute animal clips. Audiences receive a series of canine-centric sequences. The main attraction is the canine star, and though it results in some clunky cuts between what the dog does and the actors' responses, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, dog depression, and, in the end, a tail-wagging resolution.
Where It Wobbles
The same praise cannot be applied for the romantic plot. The film's approach wavers between emotional depth, broad humor, standard rom-com beats, and outright slapstick, never fully committing to any one mode. The fault lies not with the actor playing Russ, who is fully game the humiliating and funny required by the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a charming humility that offers a significant portion of the appeal for this seemingly ideal couple. Zooey Deschanel, true to her usual style, imparts a distinctive offbeat energy that will click for some but not others. The character can feel a bit too dry, notably when paired with Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (It should be noted, the canine performer manages acting depressed – not quite a canine thespian of that caliber, he remains an excellent dog.)
The film attempts to add substance to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, since the dog is undoubtedly the most adorable aspect of this film designed for charm. Expectedly, it meets the bare minimum. The reason for the split might seem more grounded and mature with less exposition and more subtle storytelling. In the end, Merv is light and sugary, fulfilling precisely what you anticipate. Making a film with this canine conflict is not terrible – though I wouldn't call it a great one either.
- Merv premieres on Amazon Prime Video this December.
