This is a widely held belief among many that co-parenting a pet following a split is a terrible idea. Most will argue such arrangements hinder ex-partners from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, lead to tension, and become annoying for everyone involved. Seemingly, as a development suited to a streaming movie, it can even cause the dogs themselves to feel down.
Not to downplay the emotional well-being of dogs – pet parents speak of their deep emotional capacity. If you need standout portrayal in dog sorrow, simply recall another performance. There is little doubt that a dog such as Merv, a spirited little dog portrayed by Gus the Dog, would find it difficult adjusting to split households. Whether this premise a full holiday film around this situation works effectively remains debatable at best.Standard Holiday Fare
To its credit, Merv, crafted by the writing duo and directed by Jessica Swale, never aspires to be more profound than what it is. This is a Christmas movie from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the complexity is limited. Its storyline unfolds as uncomplicated: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their own sadness is rivaled only by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will surely realize the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – played by Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – are crafted as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look carries the feel of a platform's in-house production, with a wintry atmosphere that is visibly contrived – think flurries clinging to lush pines as North Carolina substitutes for a wintery Boston.
The Canine Charisma
If these standard ingredients coalesce into something enjoyable depends on the execution and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. Regarding the second aspect, Merv hones in on a demographic – those people who scroll endlessly for cute animal clips. It provides a series of adorable dog montages. The central draw is the dog, and though it results in some awkward editing between animal action and human reaction, the movie delivers on dog beach fun, pet moping, and, in the end, pure puppy happiness.
The Two-Legged Cast
The same praise does not extend for the romantic plot. The tone shifts uneasily between serious study, wacky comedy, standard rom-com beats, and silly gags, not quite landing a single genre. This is not Charlie Cox, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward demanded of the bizarre setting. His performance contains a endearing lack of ego that supplies the bulk of the chemistry for this ostensibly perfect couple. Zooey Deschanel, true to her usual style, imparts a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. The character can feel a touch too detached, notably when paired with Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (For what it's worth, the canine performer succeeds in looking despondent – while no the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he is still a scene-stealer.)
Merv tries to add substance to the central romance for scenes without their pet – a bit of a pity, considering the dog is easily the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. As one might predict, it just about gets by. The cause for their original breakup could have been more nuanced with more screen time and less blunt explanation. In the end, Merv is gentle and pleasant, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Crafting a story with this canine conflict isn't a bad idea – but it's not exactly a stroke of genius.
- Merv streams on Prime Video on December 10th.
