It is a common warning for numerous people that sharing custody a pet following a split is a recipe for trouble. Most will argue such arrangements impede former couples from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, lead to tension, and prove frustrating across the board. As it turns out, as a development fit for a streaming movie, it reportedly leads to the canine in question to feel down.
Not to downplay the mental health of our pets – pet parents speak of their remarkable empathy. If you need masterclass in pet despair, simply recall recent cinema. There is little doubt that a dog such as Merv, a spirited little dog played by the canine actor Gus, would struggle adapting to split households. The idea of basing an entire Christmas romance around this situation holds water seems debatable at best.Standard Holiday Fare
To its credit, Merv, written by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and directed by Jessica Swale, never aspires to be deeper than what it is. We have here a Christmas movie from a streaming platform giant – the depth are modest. The plot proves to be uncomplicated: a separated couple Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their post-breakup gloom is rivaled only by their dog's, take a therapeutic trip to a dog-friendly resort. There, inevitably, they will undoubtedly rediscover the idea that they should reunite. Side characters – including a group of comedic actors – fulfill roles the usual assortment of types. The film's look carries the feel of a platform's in-house production, with a Christmas setting that is visibly contrived – think flurries piled on lush pines as a summer location stands in for a wintery Boston.
The Dog's Domain
How these standard ingredients merge into something enjoyable hinges on the execution and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. For the comfort factor, Merv targets a specific viewer – individuals who browse regularly for pet content. The film delivers a series of canine-centric sequences. The primary selling point is Merv himself, and though it results in some clunky cuts between what the dog does and people's faces, the movie does offer canine party antics, canine sorrow, and, finally, doggie joy.
Where It Wobbles
This level of success does not extend for the human side of the story. The film's approach vacillates between emotional depth, zany antics, predictable love story, and silly gags, never fully committing to a consistent feel. No blame falls on Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the silliness and cringe inherent in the bizarre setting. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that supplies a significant portion of the appeal for this ostensibly perfect couple. Anna's portrayer, true to her usual style, brings a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal can feel a touch too detached, notably when contrasted against Cox's vulnerable performance. (It should be noted, the canine performer succeeds in flopping and whining – not quite Messi from that acclaimed drama, he remains a scene-stealer.)
The film attempts to give weight to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, given that the title character is easily the best part of this feel-good picture. As one might predict, it achieves only baseline competence. The catalyst for the split would feel more grounded and mature with more screen time and fewer direct statements. In the end, Merv is gentle and pleasant, fulfilling precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie with this canine conflict has potential – even if it's hardly a stroke of genius.
- Merv streams on Prime Video this December.
