It is a widely held belief in certain circles that jointly caring for a pet following a split is ill-advised. Most will argue such setups impede individuals from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, fuel disputes, and prove frustrating for everyone involved. Seemingly, in a revelation worthy of a streaming movie, it also makes our furry friends to become depressed.
Without minimizing the inner life of animals – many owners attest to their remarkable empathy. For a prime example in canine melancholy, simply recall a past film. It seems certain that a dog of Merv's nature, a scruffy terrier type brought to life by the canine actor Gus, would find it difficult coping with split households. If this concept a feature-length romcom on this conflict is sustainable is debatable at best.Standard Holiday Fare
Honestly, Merv, crafted by the writing duo and helmed by director Swale, never aspires to be more profound than a light film. It functions as a Christmas movie from a corporate studio – the depth are modest. The narrative unfolds as simple and direct: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), forced to acknowledge that their own sadness is surpassed by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a dog-friendly resort. Once there, as expected, they will undoubtedly rediscover the idea that they are better together. The supporting cast – including Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – serve as the usual assortment of types. Visually has the quality of a platform's in-house production, with a wintry atmosphere that is clearly manufactured – think flurries surrounding verdant foliage as a warm climate doubles as a wintery Boston.
The Canine Charisma
If these predictable parts coalesce into an entertaining watch rests upon the execution and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. Regarding the second aspect, Merv targets a specific viewer – the kind who browse regularly for cute animal clips. It provides a wealth of canine-centric sequences. The central draw is the canine star, and though it results in some clunky cuts between what the dog does and people's faces, the movie delivers on dog beach fun, pet moping, and, finally, doggie joy.
Where It Wobbles
This level of success cannot be applied for the romantic plot. Its style vacillates between relationship drama, broad humor, standard rom-com beats, and outright slapstick, never fully committing to a single genre. No blame falls on Cox's performance, who is fully game the silliness and cringe inherent in the unusual premise. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that supplies the bulk of the chemistry for this seemingly ideal couple. Anna's portrayer, true to her usual style, imparts a particular brand of eccentricity that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna comes across as a touch too detached, particularly when contrasted against Cox's genuine sadness. (On another note, the canine performer is convincing at acting depressed – not quite a canine thespian of that caliber, he remains a very good boy.)
The story strives to add substance to Anna and Russ's relationship for moments when the dog is absent – a bit of a pity, since the dog is easily the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. As one might predict, it achieves only baseline competence. The reason for their original breakup might seem more grounded and mature with more screen time and fewer direct statements. In the end, Merv is gentle and pleasant, meeting precisely what you anticipate. Crafting a story on this shared-custody premise is not terrible – though it's not exactly a stroke of genius.
- Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video starting December 10.
