This is a common warning for numerous people that co-parenting a pet after a breakup is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such setups prevent ex-partners from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, fuel disputes, and become annoying for everyone involved. As it turns out, in a revelation suited to a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to the canine in question to feel down.
While respecting the mental health of animals – countless people speak of their deep emotional capacity. For a masterclass in canine melancholy, consider another performance. It seems certain that a dog like Merv, a scruffy terrier type brought to life by Gus the Dog, would find it difficult adjusting to divided living arrangements. If this concept a feature-length romcom around this situation is sustainable is a questionable prospect.A Familiar Formula
Fairness demands noting, Merv, written by its screenwriters and directed by Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims more profound than its premise. It functions as a holiday release from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the complexity are modest. The plot is destined to be straightforward: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, forced to acknowledge that their own sadness is surpassed by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a dog-friendly resort. There, inevitably, they will presumably rediscover the idea that they belong with each other. Ensemble players – including familiar faces – serve as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Visually has the quality of a branded content, with a wintry atmosphere that is clearly manufactured – as seen in flurries piled on lush pines as North Carolina substitutes for a wintery Boston.
The Dog's Domain
Whether these familiar elements coalesce into an entertaining watch hinges on the actors' work and one's taste for comfort viewing. For the comfort factor, Merv targets a specific viewer – individuals who browse regularly for cute animal clips. It provides a plethora of scenes focused on the pet. The main attraction is the canine star, and even if it causes 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.
The Human Element
The same praise cannot be applied for the interpersonal drama. The tone shifts uneasily between emotional depth, broad humor, formulaic romance, and outright slapstick, failing to master any one mode. No blame falls on Charlie Cox, who is fully game the humiliating and funny required by the unusual premise. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that provides much of the film's charm for this seemingly ideal couple. Zooey Deschanel, true to her usual style, brings a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna comes across as a touch too detached, especially when alongside Cox's vulnerable performance. (On another note, Merv himself succeeds in acting depressed – while no the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he's definitely an excellent dog.)
The film attempts to provide depth to Anna and Russ's relationship for sequences focusing solely on them – a bit of a pity, considering the title character is by far the most adorable aspect of this film designed for charm. Unsurprisingly, it meets the bare minimum. The reason for their separation could have been more nuanced with greater exploration and less blunt explanation. In the end, Merv is slight and sweet, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie on this shared-custody premise is not terrible – even if it's not exactly a stroke of genius.
- Merv becomes available on Prime Video on December 10th.
