It is a common warning in certain circles that sharing custody a canine companion following a split is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such situations prevent individuals from finding closure, create logistical nightmares, spark arguments, and become annoying for everyone involved. Seemingly, in a revelation suited to a streaming movie, it reportedly leads to our furry friends to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the emotional well-being of animals – countless people attest to their deep emotional capacity. To witness a masterclass in canine melancholy, one need only look another performance. It seems certain that a dog such as Merv, a scruffy terrier type portrayed by Gus the Dog, would have a hard time adjusting to life in two homes. The idea of basing an entire Christmas romance around this situation is sustainable seems a questionable prospect.Standard Holiday Fare
To its credit, Merv, written by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and directed by director Swale, doesn't pretend to be anything more than a light film. It functions as a seasonal offering from a streaming platform giant – the depth is limited. Its storyline proves to be straightforward: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their post-breakup gloom is matched by their dog's, decide on a therapeutic trip to a canine-centric retreat. At this location, predictably, they will surely rediscover the idea that they should reunite. Ensemble players – played by a group of comedic actors – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Its aesthetic has the quality of a streaming service original, with a wintry atmosphere that is clearly manufactured – exemplified by obvious snow effects surrounding verdant foliage as a warm climate substitutes for the Northeast.
The Dog's Domain
If these standard ingredients come together into a pleasant experience rests upon the actors' work and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – the kind who seek out for pet content. Audiences receive a series of scenes focused on the pet. The primary selling point is the dog, and even if it causes some stilted moments between what the dog does and people's faces, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, canine sorrow, and, in the end, a tail-wagging resolution.
Where It Wobbles
This level of success does not extend for the romantic plot. Its style shifts uneasily between emotional depth, wacky comedy, formulaic romance, and silly gags, never fully committing to a consistent feel. The fault lies not with the actor playing Russ, who is admirably committed the humiliating and funny inherent in the dog resort scenario. He brings a endearing lack of ego that offers much of the film's charm for this seemingly ideal couple. Anna's portrayer, in her typical fashion, injects a particular brand of eccentricity that will be to your taste or not. The character comes across as a touch too detached, especially when contrasted against Cox's vulnerable performance. (On another note, Merv himself manages flopping and whining – not quite Messi from that acclaimed drama, he remains a very good boy.)
The film attempts to give weight to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, since Merv is undoubtedly the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. Expectedly, it meets the bare minimum. The cause for the split could have been more nuanced with greater exploration and more subtle storytelling. Ultimately, Merv is slight and sweet, meeting precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie on this shared-custody premise is not terrible – even if I wouldn't call it a great one either.
- Merv becomes available on Prime Video starting December 10.
