This is an often-repeated piece of advice in certain circles that co-parenting a canine companion post-separation is a terrible idea. Experts frequently claim such situations impede ex-partners from healing, create logistical nightmares, fuel disputes, and become annoying for all parties. Apparently, as a development suited to a streaming movie, it also makes the dogs themselves to become depressed.
While respecting the inner life of our pets – countless people observe their profound sensitivity. If you need prime example in canine melancholy, simply recall recent cinema. I firmly believe that a dog of Merv's nature, a scruffy terrier type brought to life by a talented dog named Gus, would find it difficult coping with divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom on this conflict works effectively remains debatable at best.Predictable Foundations
Honestly, Merv, the work of the writing duo and helmed by Jessica Swale, doesn't pretend to be more profound than what it is. This is a seasonal offering from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the ambitions remains surface-level. The plot is destined to be straightforward: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), forced to acknowledge that their own sadness is rivaled only by their dog's, decide on a cheer-up vacation to a luxury pet hotel. At this location, predictably, they will presumably rediscover the idea that they should reunite. The supporting cast – including a group of comedic actors – serve as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. The film's look carries the feel of a branded content, with a holiday backdrop that is clearly manufactured – as seen in fake snow clinging to verdant foliage as North Carolina substitutes for the Northeast.
Where the Film Shines
If these standard ingredients merge into a pleasant experience rests upon the execution and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. For the comfort factor, Merv targets a specific viewer – those people who seek out for pet content. It provides a plethora of scenes focused on the pet. The main attraction is the canine star, and even if it causes some awkward editing between animal action and the actors' responses, the movie does offer dog beach fun, pet moping, and, in the end, a tail-wagging resolution.
Where It Wobbles
The same praise cannot be applied for the human side of the story. The tone vacillates between emotional depth, wacky comedy, standard rom-com beats, and outright slapstick, failing to master a single genre. The fault lies not with Charlie Cox, who is admirably committed the silliness and cringe demanded of the unusual premise. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that provides much of the film's charm for this on-the-rocks couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, imparts a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. The character seems a bit too dry, especially when contrasted against Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (For what it's worth, Gus the Dog succeeds in looking despondent – he may not be a canine thespian of that caliber, he is still a very good boy.)
The film attempts to add substance to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – a regrettable choice, since Merv is easily the cutest element of this feel-good picture. Expectedly, it meets the bare minimum. The catalyst for the split might seem more grounded and mature with less exposition and fewer direct statements. In the end, Merv is gentle and pleasant, hitting every expected note. Crafting a story about dog co-parenting is not terrible – but it's not exactly a brilliant concept.
- Merv premieres on Prime Video this December.
