It is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that co-parenting a canine companion post-separation is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such arrangements prevent former couples from finding closure, lead to scheduling chaos, spark arguments, and become annoying for all parties. As it turns out, in a revelation worthy of a streaming movie, it reportedly leads to our furry friends to feel down.
While respecting the inner life of animals – pet parents observe their remarkable empathy. If you need masterclass in pet despair, consider another performance. There is little doubt that a dog such as Merv, a spirited little dog brought to life by the canine actor Gus, would find it difficult coping with divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom on this conflict holds water seems rather doubtful.Predictable Foundations
To its credit, Merv, written by the writing duo and directed by director Swale, never aspires to be deeper than what it is. It functions as a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the ambitions are modest. Its storyline proves to be uncomplicated: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their own sadness is matched by their dog's, take a cheer-up vacation to a luxury pet hotel. At this location, predictably, they will undoubtedly rediscover the idea that they belong with each other. Ensemble players – featuring familiar faces – fulfill roles quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Its aesthetic carries the feel of a branded content, with a holiday backdrop that is visibly contrived – as seen in obvious snow effects clinging to lush pines as a warm climate stands in for the Northeast.
The Dog's Domain
How these standard ingredients coalesce into an entertaining watch rests upon the execution and the viewer's appetite for easy entertainment. Regarding the second aspect, Merv knows its audience – individuals who browse regularly for pet content. It provides a wealth of adorable dog montages. The main attraction is the canine star, and while this leads to some stilted moments between what the dog does and the actors' responses, the movie does offer dog beach fun, dog depression, and, finally, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Human Element
Such effectiveness cannot be applied for the human side of the story. The tone shifts uneasily between emotional depth, wacky comedy, standard rom-com beats, and silly gags, never fully committing to any one mode. No blame falls on the actor playing Russ, who is willing to embrace the silliness and cringe inherent in the dog resort scenario. Cox exhibits a endearing lack of ego that supplies a significant portion of the appeal for this on-the-rocks couple. Her co-star Deschanel, in her typical fashion, brings a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna seems a bit too dry, particularly when paired with Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (For what it's worth, Gus the Dog is convincing at looking despondent – not quite the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he remains a very good boy.)
The story strives to add substance to the couple's history for scenes without their pet – which is unfortunate, given that the title character is by far the most adorable aspect of this feel-good picture. Expectedly, it achieves only baseline competence. The cause for their separation could have been more nuanced with less exposition and fewer direct statements. In the end, Merv is slight and sweet, hitting all its marks. Creating a movie with this canine conflict isn't a bad idea – but I wouldn't call it a brilliant concept.
- Merv premieres on Amazon Prime Video this December.
