This is a widely held belief for numerous people that jointly caring for a pet following a split is a terrible idea. Most will argue such arrangements prevent ex-partners from healing, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and prove frustrating across the board. Apparently, as a development suited to a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to the dogs themselves to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the emotional well-being of dogs – countless people speak of their profound sensitivity. For a masterclass in pet despair, one need only look a past film. I firmly believe that a dog of Merv's nature, a scruffy terrier type portrayed by Gus the Dog, would struggle adapting to split households. If this concept a feature-length romcom on such a setup works effectively remains a questionable prospect.Standard Holiday Fare
Fairness demands noting, Merv, the work of Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and directed by playwright Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims deeper than what it is. We have here a seasonal offering from a streaming platform giant – the depth are modest. The narrative is destined to be straightforward: a separated couple Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their individual funk is rivaled only by their dog's, embark on a therapeutic trip to a canine-centric retreat. Once there, as expected, they will presumably stumble toward the idea that they should reunite. Side characters – featuring familiar faces – fulfill roles 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 clearly manufactured – think obvious snow effects piled on verdant foliage as a summer location stands in for a wintery Boston.
The Dog's Domain
If these standard ingredients come together into something enjoyable depends on the execution and one's taste for comfort viewing. On the latter point, Merv targets a specific viewer – individuals who browse regularly for pet content. It provides a plethora of canine-centric sequences. The main attraction is the canine star, and though it results in some stilted moments between animal action and people's faces, the movie does offer dog beach fun, pet moping, and, ultimately, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Two-Legged Cast
This level of success does not extend for the human side of the story. The tone wavers between relationship drama, wacky comedy, standard rom-com beats, and physical comedy, failing to master any one mode. The fault lies not with Cox's performance, who is fully game the absurd and awkward inherent in the bizarre setting. Cox exhibits a charming humility 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. Her Anna comes across as a little too aloof, especially when contrasted against Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (On another note, Merv himself manages looking despondent – he may not be Messi from that acclaimed drama, he's definitely a scene-stealer.)
The story strives to add substance to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – a bit of a pity, given that the title character is undoubtedly the best part of this film designed for charm. Unsurprisingly, it achieves only baseline competence. The catalyst for their original breakup could have been more nuanced with greater exploration and more subtle storytelling. In the end, Merv is slight and sweet, meeting every expected note. Creating a movie on this shared-custody premise has potential – though it's not exactly a brilliant concept.
- Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video this December.
