This is an often-repeated piece of advice in certain circles that sharing custody a dog after a breakup is a recipe for trouble. Most will argue such setups prevent former couples from finding closure, lead to scheduling chaos, fuel disputes, and prove frustrating for everyone involved. As it turns out, in a revelation worthy of a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause the canine in question to become depressed.
Without minimizing the emotional well-being of animals – countless people attest to their remarkable empathy. To witness a prime example in pet despair, one need only look recent cinema. There is little doubt that a dog like Merv, a spirited little dog played by Gus the Dog, would find it difficult coping with split households. The idea of basing a full holiday film around this situation holds water is debatable at best.A Familiar Formula
Honestly, Merv, written by its screenwriters and directed by playwright Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims deeper than its premise. We have here a seasonal offering from a corporate studio – the ambitions are modest. The narrative proves to be simple and direct: a separated couple Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, confronting that their individual funk is surpassed by their dog's, decide on a uplifting getaway to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will presumably stumble toward the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – featuring familiar faces – are crafted as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. The film's look is reminiscent of a platform's in-house production, with a Christmas setting that is visibly contrived – think obvious snow effects surrounding verdant foliage as a warm climate stands in for a cold December city.
Where the Film Shines
Whether these predictable parts merge into a pleasant experience hinges on the strength of the performances and the viewer's appetite for cinematic comfort food. For the comfort factor, Merv knows its audience – those people who scroll endlessly for pet content. Audiences receive a plethora of scenes focused on the pet. The main attraction is Merv himself, and even if it causes some stilted moments between what the dog does and human reaction, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, canine sorrow, and, in the end, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Two-Legged Cast
This level of success cannot be applied for the romantic plot. The tone wavers between emotional depth, wacky comedy, standard rom-com beats, and silly gags, failing to master a single genre. This is not Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the humiliating and funny demanded of the bizarre setting. His performance contains a endearing lack of ego that supplies a significant portion of the appeal for this ostensibly perfect couple. Anna's portrayer, true to her usual style, imparts a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. The character seems a touch too detached, notably when contrasted against Cox's vulnerable performance. (For what it's worth, Gus the Dog is convincing at acting depressed – he may not be the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he remains a very good boy.)
Merv tries to give weight to the central romance for sequences focusing solely on them – a bit of a pity, since the title character is by far the cutest element of this film designed for charm. Unsurprisingly, it achieves only baseline competence. The cause for their separation might seem more adult and realistic with greater exploration and fewer direct statements. Ultimately, Merv is slight and sweet, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Crafting a story on this shared-custody premise is not terrible – though I wouldn't call it a stroke of genius.
- Merv streams on the Amazon platform on December 10th.
