It is an often-repeated piece of advice in certain circles that jointly caring for a pet after a breakup is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such arrangements prevent former couples from moving forward, cause practical headaches, spark arguments, and become annoying across the board. As it turns out, as a development fit for a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause our furry friends to feel down.
Without minimizing the mental health of dogs – pet parents speak of 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 spirited little dog portrayed by the canine actor Gus, would struggle adapting to divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom around this situation is sustainable remains rather doubtful.A Familiar Formula
To its credit, Merv, crafted by the writing duo and directed by director Swale, never aspires to be more profound than its premise. We have here a holiday release from a corporate studio – the complexity remains surface-level. The plot unfolds as simple and direct: former spouses Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, realizing that their own sadness is surpassed by their dog's, embark on a therapeutic trip to a dog-friendly resort. At this location, predictably, they will undoubtedly realize the idea that they belong with each other. Ensemble players – played by familiar faces – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look has the quality of a platform's in-house production, with a Christmas setting that is obviously artificial – as seen in fake snow surrounding lush pines as a summer location substitutes for a wintery Boston.
The Canine Charisma
How these familiar elements coalesce into something enjoyable hinges on the execution and the viewer's appetite for comfort viewing. For the comfort factor, Merv hones in on a demographic – individuals who browse regularly for dog videos. Audiences receive a series of scenes focused on the pet. The primary selling point is the dog, and even if it causes some clunky cuts between what the dog does 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 is not earned for the interpersonal drama. Its style vacillates between emotional depth, zany antics, standard rom-com beats, and outright slapstick, failing to master a single genre. This is not Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the humiliating and funny required by the bizarre setting. His performance contains a endearing lack of ego that provides a significant portion of the appeal for this on-the-rocks couple. Anna's portrayer, as is her trademark, brings a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal can feel a little too aloof, notably when paired with Cox's vulnerable performance. (On another note, Gus the Dog is convincing at looking despondent – while no Messi from that acclaimed drama, he remains a very good boy.)
The film attempts to give weight to the couple's history for moments when the dog is absent – which is unfortunate, given that the title character is undoubtedly the most adorable aspect of this film designed for charm. Unsurprisingly, it just about gets by. The cause for their original breakup would feel more adult and realistic with more screen time and fewer direct statements. Ultimately, Merv is light and sugary, fulfilling precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie on this shared-custody premise is not terrible – but it's hardly a stroke of genius.
- Merv premieres on Prime Video this December.
