It is a widely held belief for numerous people that jointly caring for a dog post-separation is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such arrangements prevent former couples from moving forward, lead to scheduling chaos, fuel disputes, and become annoying for all parties. As it turns out, in a revelation fit for a streaming movie, it can even cause the canine in question to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the emotional well-being of dogs – pet parents observe their profound sensitivity. To witness a prime example in pet despair, one need only look another performance. It seems certain that a dog like Merv, a scruffy terrier type portrayed by Gus the Dog, would struggle adjusting to divided living arrangements. If this concept a full holiday film on this conflict works effectively remains debatable at best.Predictable Foundations
Fairness demands noting, Merv, written by the writing duo and under the guidance of Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than its premise. This is a holiday release from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the complexity is limited. The narrative is destined to be straightforward: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, realizing that their own sadness is surpassed by their dog's, decide on a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will undoubtedly stumble toward the idea that they are better together. Side characters – including Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look carries the feel of a streaming service original, with a holiday backdrop that is visibly contrived – as seen in obvious snow effects surrounding lush pines as a summer location substitutes for a wintery Boston.
The Canine Charisma
How these standard ingredients merge into an entertaining watch hinges on the actors' work and the viewer's appetite for cinematic comfort food. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – those people who seek out for dog videos. The film delivers a series of adorable dog montages. The main attraction is Merv himself, and while this leads to some clunky cuts between the pet's "lines" and the actors' responses, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, pet moping, and, finally, doggie joy.
The Human Element
This level of success cannot be applied for the romantic plot. The film's approach wavers between emotional depth, broad humor, formulaic romance, and outright slapstick, failing to master any one mode. The fault lies not with the actor playing Russ, who is admirably committed the silliness and cringe inherent in the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that provides a significant portion of the appeal for this on-the-rocks couple. Anna's portrayer, as is her trademark, injects a particular brand of eccentricity that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal comes across as a touch too detached, notably when contrasted against Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, the canine performer is convincing at looking despondent – he may not be a canine thespian of that caliber, he is still an excellent dog.)
Merv tries to give weight to the central romance for scenes without their pet – a regrettable choice, considering the dog is undoubtedly the cutest element of this feel-good picture. As one might predict, it achieves only baseline competence. The cause for their separation could have been more adult and realistic with more screen time and less blunt explanation. Ultimately, Merv is light and sugary, hitting every expected note. Making a film about dog co-parenting is not terrible – even if it's hardly a brilliant concept.
- Merv streams on Amazon Prime Video starting December 10.
