It is a widely held belief among many that sharing custody a canine companion post-separation is a recipe for trouble. Most will argue such situations prevent ex-partners from moving forward, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and prove frustrating across the board. Seemingly, in a revelation fit for a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to our furry friends to feel down.
Without minimizing the emotional well-being of animals – pet parents observe their remarkable empathy. If you need standout portrayal in pet despair, consider a past film. It seems certain that a dog like Merv, a spirited little dog brought to life by Gus the Dog, would struggle adjusting to divided living arrangements. The idea of basing a full holiday film on such a setup is sustainable remains a questionable prospect.A Familiar Formula
To its credit, Merv, the work of Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and directed by Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than its premise. We have here a seasonal offering from a streaming platform giant – the complexity is limited. The plot proves to be straightforward: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their individual funk is surpassed by their dog's, take a therapeutic trip to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will presumably rediscover the idea that they are better together. The supporting cast – played by a group of comedic actors – are crafted as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look has the quality of a streaming service original, with a holiday backdrop that is clearly manufactured – as seen in obvious snow effects clinging to lush pines as North Carolina doubles as a wintery Boston.
The Dog's Domain
How these standard ingredients merge into something enjoyable rests upon the strength of the performances and the viewer's appetite 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 while this leads to some awkward editing between what the dog does and people's faces, the movie delivers on canine party antics, dog depression, and, finally, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Two-Legged Cast
This level of success cannot be applied for the interpersonal drama. Its style wavers between relationship drama, broad humor, predictable love story, and silly gags, failing to master a single genre. This is not Charlie Cox, who is fully game the absurd and awkward inherent in the dog resort scenario. Cox exhibits a likable self-deprecation that offers much of the film's charm for this seemingly ideal couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, injects a particular brand of eccentricity that will either resonate with viewers. Her portrayal comes across as a little too aloof, especially when alongside Cox's vulnerable performance. (On another note, Merv himself is convincing at acting depressed – not quite the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he remains an excellent dog.)
Merv tries to provide depth to Anna and Russ's relationship for sequences focusing solely on them – a bit of a pity, given that the title character is undoubtedly the most adorable aspect of this cute-aiming movie. Expectedly, it just about gets by. The reason for their original breakup might seem more adult and realistic with less exposition and more subtle storytelling. In the end, Merv is slight and sweet, fulfilling all its marks. Making a film about dog co-parenting isn't a bad idea – but it's not exactly a stroke of genius.
- Merv premieres on the Amazon platform this December.
