It is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that sharing custody a canine companion following a split is a recipe for trouble. The consensus suggests such situations prevent individuals from healing, create logistical nightmares, lead to tension, and become annoying across the board. Apparently, in a revelation suited to a streaming movie, it reportedly leads to the canine in question to feel down.
Without minimizing the emotional well-being of animals – pet parents speak of their deep emotional capacity. To witness a masterclass in dog sorrow, simply recall a past film. It seems certain that a dog like Merv, a scruffy terrier type played by a talented dog named Gus, would find it difficult coping with split households. Whether this premise an entire Christmas romance around this situation works effectively seems a questionable prospect.A Familiar Formula
Honestly, Merv, written by the writing duo and helmed by playwright Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims more profound than its premise. It functions as a seasonal offering from a streaming platform giant – the ambitions are modest. Its storyline unfolds as straightforward: former spouses Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, realizing that their post-breakup gloom is rivaled only by their dog's, embark on a therapeutic trip to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will undoubtedly stumble toward the idea that they are better together. Side characters – played by a group of comedic actors – are crafted as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Its aesthetic carries the feel of a platform's in-house production, with a holiday backdrop that is clearly manufactured – think fake snow piled on green trees as a warm climate stands in for a wintery Boston.
The Dog's Domain
If these familiar elements come together into an entertaining watch hinges on the execution and the viewer's appetite for comfort viewing. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – those people who browse regularly for pet content. The film delivers a series of canine-centric sequences. The primary selling point is the canine star, and though it results in some clunky cuts between animal action and human reaction, the movie succeeds in showing canine party antics, pet moping, and, in the end, doggie joy.
Where It Wobbles
Such effectiveness does not extend for the romantic plot. Its style vacillates between emotional depth, zany antics, formulaic romance, and outright slapstick, never fully committing to a consistent feel. The fault lies not with Charlie Cox, who is fully game the humiliating and funny required by the unusual premise. Cox exhibits a charming humility that offers a significant portion of the appeal for this on-the-rocks couple. Anna's portrayer, true to her usual style, imparts a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal comes across as a touch too detached, notably when contrasted against Cox's vulnerable performance. (It should be noted, Merv himself succeeds in acting depressed – he may not be Messi from that acclaimed drama, he is still a very good boy.)
The film attempts to provide depth to the central romance for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, considering the dog is undoubtedly the best part of this feel-good picture. Unsurprisingly, it achieves only baseline competence. The reason for the split could have been more grounded and mature with less exposition and less blunt explanation. Ultimately, Merv is gentle and pleasant, hitting all its marks. Making a film on this shared-custody premise is not terrible – but I wouldn't call it a brilliant concept.
- Merv streams on Amazon Prime Video starting December 10.
