It is a widely held belief in certain circles that co-parenting a pet after a breakup is a recipe for trouble. Most will argue such arrangements hinder former couples from healing, create logistical nightmares, fuel disputes, and are a nuisance across the board. Apparently, as a development fit for a streaming movie, it also makes our furry friends to become depressed.
While respecting the mental health of our pets – many owners observe their remarkable empathy. For a standout portrayal in canine melancholy, one need only look another performance. I firmly believe that a dog such as Merv, a wired-hair terrier mix brought to life by the canine actor Gus, would have a hard time adapting to life in two homes. Whether this premise a full holiday film on this conflict holds water seems a questionable prospect.Standard Holiday Fare
Fairness demands noting, Merv, the work of its screenwriters and directed by playwright Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than its premise. We have here a Christmas movie from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the depth is limited. The plot unfolds as uncomplicated: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), forced to acknowledge that their individual funk is surpassed by their dog's, take a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will surely rediscover the idea that they should reunite. Side characters – played by Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – serve as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. The film's look has the quality of a streaming service original, with a wintry atmosphere that is clearly manufactured – exemplified by obvious snow effects piled on green trees as a warm climate doubles as the Northeast.
The Canine Charisma
How these standard ingredients coalesce into a pleasant experience hinges on the actors' work and the viewer's appetite for cinematic comfort food. Regarding the second aspect, Merv hones in on a demographic – those people who scroll endlessly for dog videos. The film delivers a wealth of adorable dog montages. The central draw is the canine star, and though it results in some stilted moments between animal action and human reaction, the movie succeeds in showing canine party antics, canine sorrow, and, ultimately, a tail-wagging resolution.
Where It Wobbles
The same praise cannot be applied for the human side of the story. The tone wavers between relationship drama, zany antics, standard rom-com beats, and outright slapstick, never fully committing to any one mode. This is not the actor playing Russ, who is willing to embrace the humiliating and funny required by the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a charming humility that provides the bulk of the chemistry for this seemingly ideal couple. Anna's portrayer, true to her usual style, imparts a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. The character seems a little too aloof, notably when paired with Cox's vulnerable performance. (It should be noted, the canine performer succeeds in flopping and whining – he may not be Messi from that acclaimed drama, he is still an excellent dog.)
The film attempts to add substance to the couple's history for scenes without their pet – a bit of a pity, since the title character is undoubtedly the cutest element of this film designed for charm. As one might predict, it achieves only baseline competence. The cause for their separation could have been more adult and realistic with less exposition and more subtle storytelling. In the end, Merv is light and sugary, fulfilling precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie on this shared-custody premise has potential – even if it's hardly a brilliant concept.
- Merv premieres on the Amazon platform this December.
