It is a widely held belief among many that co-parenting a pet following a split is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such arrangements impede ex-partners from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, spark arguments, and prove frustrating across the board. As it turns out, as a development worthy of a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to the dogs themselves to become depressed.
Not to downplay the mental health of dogs – many owners speak of their profound sensitivity. If you need masterclass in dog sorrow, one need only look recent cinema. There is little doubt that a dog like Merv, a wired-hair terrier mix played by the canine actor Gus, would find it difficult coping with life in two homes. The idea of basing a feature-length romcom on such a setup holds water remains debatable at best.Standard Holiday Fare
To its credit, Merv, crafted by its screenwriters and directed by director Swale, never aspires to be deeper than its premise. This is a holiday release from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the ambitions are modest. Its storyline proves to be uncomplicated: a separated couple Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their own sadness is matched by their dog's, embark on a therapeutic trip to a dog-friendly resort. There, inevitably, they will surely stumble toward the idea that they are better together. Side characters – featuring Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Its aesthetic carries the feel of a platform's in-house production, with a Christmas setting that is obviously artificial – exemplified by obvious snow effects piled on green trees as a warm climate substitutes for a wintery Boston.
Where the Film Shines
How these standard ingredients coalesce into a pleasant experience rests upon the execution and the viewer's appetite for cinematic comfort food. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – individuals who browse regularly for cute animal clips. The film delivers a series of scenes focused on the pet. The primary selling point is the canine star, and while this leads to some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and people's faces, the movie succeeds in showing canine party antics, dog depression, and, ultimately, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Two-Legged Cast
This level of success cannot be applied for the interpersonal drama. Its style vacillates between serious study, wacky comedy, formulaic romance, and physical comedy, never fully committing to a single genre. This is not the actor playing Russ, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward inherent in the unusual premise. His performance contains a endearing lack of ego that offers much of the film's charm for this seemingly ideal couple. Zooey Deschanel, true to her usual style, injects a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. The character comes across as a little too aloof, especially when contrasted against Cox's genuine sadness. (On another note, Merv himself succeeds in looking despondent – he may not be Messi from that acclaimed drama, he remains an excellent dog.)
The film attempts to provide depth to the couple's history for moments when the dog is absent – a regrettable choice, since the title character is easily the most adorable aspect of this cute-aiming movie. As one might predict, it just about gets by. The catalyst for their original breakup would feel more nuanced with less exposition and fewer direct statements. In the end, Merv is slight and sweet, hitting all its marks. Crafting a story with this canine conflict isn't a bad idea – but I wouldn't call it a stroke of genius.
- Merv premieres on the Amazon platform this December.
