It is a widely held belief in certain circles that jointly caring for a canine companion after a breakup is a terrible idea. Most will argue such situations impede individuals from finding closure, lead to scheduling chaos, lead to tension, and prove frustrating across the board. As it turns out, as a development suited to a streaming movie, it can even cause our furry friends to feel down.
Without minimizing the emotional well-being of animals – many owners observe their deep emotional capacity. To witness a masterclass in dog sorrow, one need only look a past film. I firmly believe that a dog like Merv, a spirited little dog portrayed by Gus the Dog, would have a hard time adapting to divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom around this situation is sustainable seems rather doubtful.A Familiar Formula
Honestly, Merv, written by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and directed by playwright Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than a light film. We have here a seasonal offering from a corporate studio – the ambitions remains surface-level. The plot is destined to be simple and direct: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their individual funk is surpassed by their dog's, take a cheer-up vacation to a luxury pet hotel. At this location, predictably, they will presumably stumble toward the idea that they should reunite. Ensemble players – including familiar faces – serve as the usual assortment of types. The film's look is reminiscent of a platform's in-house production, with a holiday backdrop that is obviously artificial – as seen in obvious snow effects clinging to verdant foliage as North Carolina doubles as the Northeast.
The Dog's Domain
Whether these predictable parts merge into something enjoyable depends on the execution and the viewer's appetite for comfort viewing. On the latter point, Merv targets a specific viewer – the kind who scroll endlessly for cute animal clips. The film delivers a series of scenes focused on the pet. The primary selling point is the dog, and though it results in some clunky cuts between animal action and people's faces, the movie does offer dog beach fun, canine sorrow, and, ultimately, doggie joy.
The Two-Legged Cast
This level of success does not extend for the interpersonal drama. The tone shifts uneasily between relationship drama, wacky comedy, standard rom-com beats, and physical comedy, failing to master any one mode. No blame falls on Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward required by the unusual premise. Cox exhibits a likable self-deprecation that provides much of the film's charm for this seemingly ideal couple. Her co-star Deschanel, as is her trademark, brings a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. The character seems a bit too dry, particularly when paired with Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (It should be noted, Merv himself succeeds in looking despondent – not quite Messi from that acclaimed drama, he's definitely a very good boy.)
Merv tries to give weight to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – a bit of a pity, since Merv is undoubtedly the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. Expectedly, it meets the bare minimum. The reason for their original breakup could have been more adult and realistic with more screen time and fewer direct statements. As it stands, Merv is light and sugary, meeting every expected note. Creating a movie about dog co-parenting is not terrible – even if it's hardly a brilliant concept.
- Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video starting December 10.
