It is a widely held belief among many that co-parenting a canine companion following a split is a terrible idea. The consensus suggests such setups prevent individuals from healing, create logistical nightmares, spark arguments, and prove frustrating for everyone involved. Seemingly, and in a twist suited to a direct-to-platform film, it also makes our furry friends to feel down.
Not to downplay the emotional well-being of dogs – many owners observe their profound sensitivity. If you need standout portrayal in canine melancholy, one need only look another performance. It seems certain that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix portrayed by Gus the Dog, would find it difficult coping with life in two homes. If this concept a full holiday film on such a setup works effectively seems rather doubtful.Standard Holiday Fare
Honestly, Merv, the work of Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and helmed by Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than what it is. This is a seasonal offering from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the ambitions remains surface-level. The plot unfolds as simple and direct: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), forced to acknowledge that their post-breakup gloom is matched by their dog's, embark on a uplifting getaway to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will surely stumble toward the idea that they are better together. Side characters – including a group of comedic actors – are crafted as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look is reminiscent of a platform's in-house production, with a wintry atmosphere that is obviously artificial – think flurries surrounding verdant foliage as North Carolina doubles as a cold December city.
The Canine Charisma
How these familiar elements come together into a pleasant experience depends on the actors' work and the viewer's appetite for easy entertainment. On the latter point, Merv targets a specific viewer – those people who browse regularly for pet content. The film delivers a wealth of canine-centric sequences. The primary selling point is Merv himself, and though it results in some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and human reaction, the movie does offer walking sequences, dog depression, and, in the end, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Two-Legged Cast
The same praise is not earned for the interpersonal drama. The tone wavers between serious study, wacky comedy, standard rom-com beats, and outright slapstick, never fully committing to a single genre. No blame falls on Charlie Cox, who is willing to embrace the silliness and cringe inherent in the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a endearing lack of ego that offers a significant portion of the appeal for this on-the-rocks couple. Zooey Deschanel, as is her trademark, injects a distinctive offbeat energy that will click for some but not others. Her Anna comes across as a bit too dry, especially when alongside Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (For what it's worth, Gus the Dog is convincing at looking despondent – he may not be the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he's definitely a very good boy.)
The film attempts to provide depth to Anna and Russ's relationship for moments when the dog is absent – which is unfortunate, since the title character is easily the most adorable aspect of this feel-good picture. As one might predict, it achieves only baseline competence. The catalyst for the split could have been more nuanced with more screen time and less blunt explanation. Ultimately, Merv is light and sugary, hitting all its marks. Making a film about dog co-parenting isn't a bad idea – even if it's not exactly a stroke of genius.
- Merv premieres on Amazon Prime Video this December.
