It is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that sharing custody a dog after a breakup is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such situations prevent individuals from healing, create logistical nightmares, spark arguments, and are a nuisance for all parties. Seemingly, and in a twist fit for a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to our furry friends to become depressed.
Not to downplay the inner life of animals – pet parents observe their remarkable empathy. If you need prime example in dog sorrow, one need only look recent cinema. It seems certain that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix played by Gus the Dog, would find it difficult adapting to split households. Whether this premise an entire Christmas romance on such a setup is sustainable is a questionable prospect.Predictable Foundations
Fairness demands noting, Merv, the work of the writing duo and helmed by playwright Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims more profound than a light film. We have here a holiday release from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the complexity is limited. The plot unfolds as straightforward: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, realizing that their individual funk is matched by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. Once there, as expected, they will undoubtedly rediscover the idea that they are better together. Side characters – featuring a group of comedic actors – are crafted as the usual assortment of types. Visually is reminiscent of a platform's in-house production, with a wintry atmosphere that is visibly contrived – think obvious snow effects surrounding green trees as a warm climate stands in for the Northeast.
The Dog's Domain
Whether these familiar elements coalesce into something enjoyable rests upon the execution and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – the kind who browse regularly for pet content. It provides a plethora of scenes focused on the pet. The primary selling point is Merv himself, 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, pure puppy happiness.
The Human Element
This level of success cannot be applied for the human side of the story. Its style wavers between relationship drama, zany antics, predictable love story, and physical comedy, failing to master any one mode. This is not Cox's performance, who is admirably committed the absurd and awkward inherent in the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a charming humility that provides much of the film's charm for this on-the-rocks couple. Anna's portrayer, true to her usual style, injects a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna can feel a bit too dry, especially when paired with Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (It should be noted, Merv himself is convincing at flopping and whining – he may not be the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he remains a scene-stealer.)
Merv tries to add substance to Anna and Russ's relationship for scenes without their pet – which is unfortunate, considering the dog is easily the best part of this film designed for charm. Expectedly, it meets the bare minimum. The reason for the split might seem more adult and realistic with greater exploration and fewer direct statements. Ultimately, Merv is light and sugary, meeting precisely what you anticipate. Making a film on this shared-custody premise isn't a bad idea – even if it's hardly a brilliant concept.
- Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video on December 10th.
