It is a widely held belief for numerous people that co-parenting a pet after a breakup is ill-advised. Most will argue such setups impede ex-partners from healing, create logistical nightmares, fuel disputes, and are a nuisance across the board. Seemingly, in a revelation suited to a streaming movie, it can even cause the canine in question to feel down.
Without minimizing the emotional well-being of dogs – many owners speak of their remarkable empathy. For a masterclass in dog sorrow, consider recent cinema. There is little doubt that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix brought to life by a talented dog named Gus, would have a hard time coping with divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a full holiday film on this conflict works effectively remains a questionable prospect.Standard Holiday Fare
To its credit, Merv, written by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and under the guidance of Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than its premise. This is a Christmas movie from a corporate studio – the depth remains surface-level. The narrative is destined to be straightforward: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), forced to acknowledge that their own sadness is matched by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. Once there, as expected, they will surely rediscover the idea that they are better together. Side characters – played by familiar faces – are crafted as the usual assortment of types. The film's look has the quality of a streaming service original, with a holiday backdrop that is visibly contrived – think obvious snow effects clinging to lush pines as North Carolina stands in for a cold December city.
The Canine Charisma
How these predictable parts come together into an entertaining watch hinges on the strength of the performances and the viewer's appetite for cinematic comfort food. Regarding the second aspect, Merv hones in on a demographic – individuals who seek out for cute animal clips. It provides a plethora of scenes focused on the pet. The central draw is the canine star, and though it results in some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and human reaction, the movie does offer canine party antics, pet moping, and, in the end, pure puppy happiness.
Where It Wobbles
This level of success cannot be applied for the interpersonal drama. The tone shifts uneasily between emotional depth, broad humor, predictable love story, and outright slapstick, failing to master a single genre. This is not the actor playing Russ, who is willing to embrace the humiliating and funny inherent in the unusual premise. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that supplies much of the film's charm for this on-the-rocks couple. Anna's portrayer, true to her usual style, injects a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal comes across as a bit too dry, notably when paired with Cox's genuine sadness. (On another note, Merv himself succeeds in acting depressed – he may not be a canine thespian of that caliber, he remains a scene-stealer.)
The story strives to add substance to the couple's history for scenes without their pet – a bit of a pity, since Merv is easily the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. Expectedly, it just about gets by. The cause for the split might seem more grounded and mature with greater exploration and more subtle storytelling. Ultimately, Merv is slight and sweet, fulfilling precisely what you anticipate. Crafting a story with this canine conflict has potential – though it's hardly a stroke of genius.
- Merv becomes available on Prime Video on December 10th.
