This is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that sharing custody a pet following a split is a terrible idea. Experts frequently claim such situations hinder former couples from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, spark arguments, and prove frustrating for all parties. Apparently, as a development suited to a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to the dogs themselves to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the inner life of our pets – pet parents observe their deep emotional capacity. For a masterclass in pet despair, one need only look a past film. It seems certain that a dog like Merv, a spirited little dog played by the canine actor Gus, would find it difficult coping with split households. If this concept a feature-length romcom around this situation is sustainable remains rather doubtful.Predictable Foundations
Honestly, Merv, written by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and helmed by playwright Jessica Swale, never aspires to be more profound than what it is. We have here a holiday release from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the depth remains surface-level. The plot is destined to be straightforward: a separated couple Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their post-breakup gloom is matched by their dog's, take a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. Once there, as expected, they will undoubtedly rediscover the idea that they are better together. Side characters – featuring a group of comedic actors – are crafted as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. The film's look is reminiscent of a streaming service original, with a wintry atmosphere that is obviously artificial – exemplified by obvious snow effects piled on verdant foliage as North Carolina substitutes for the Northeast.
The Canine Charisma
How these predictable parts coalesce into an entertaining watch rests upon the actors' work and the viewer's appetite for cinematic comfort food. On the latter point, Merv targets a specific viewer – the kind who browse regularly for dog videos. Audiences receive a plethora of scenes focused on the pet. The central draw is Merv himself, and though it results in some clunky cuts between the pet's "lines" and people's faces, the movie does offer canine party antics, pet moping, and, ultimately, a tail-wagging resolution.
Where It Wobbles
This level of success does not extend for the interpersonal drama. The film's approach shifts uneasily between emotional depth, zany antics, formulaic romance, and outright slapstick, never fully committing to a consistent feel. 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 likable self-deprecation that provides the bulk of the chemistry for this on-the-rocks couple. Zooey Deschanel, true to her usual style, injects a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal seems a touch too detached, especially when paired with Cox's genuine sadness. (It should be noted, Gus the Dog succeeds in looking despondent – not quite Messi from that acclaimed drama, he remains a scene-stealer.)
The film attempts to add substance to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, considering the dog is easily the most adorable aspect of this cute-aiming movie. Expectedly, it meets the bare minimum. The catalyst for their original breakup might seem more grounded and mature with more screen time and more subtle storytelling. Ultimately, Merv is gentle and pleasant, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie on this shared-custody premise has potential – even if it's not exactly a great one either.
- Merv streams on the Amazon platform this December.
