It is an often-repeated piece of advice among many that jointly caring for a dog after a breakup is a recipe for trouble. Most will argue such arrangements impede ex-partners from healing, cause practical headaches, spark arguments, and are a nuisance for all parties. Seemingly, in a revelation worthy of a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause the dogs themselves to feel down.
Without minimizing the mental health of dogs – many owners speak of their deep emotional capacity. If you need standout portrayal in pet despair, one need only look a past film. I firmly believe that a dog like Merv, a wired-hair terrier mix brought to life by the canine actor Gus, would struggle coping with split households. The idea of basing a full holiday film around this situation works effectively is a questionable prospect.Standard Holiday Fare
To its credit, Merv, crafted by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and directed by Jessica Swale, doesn't pretend to be deeper than a light film. We have here a Christmas movie from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the complexity are modest. Its storyline unfolds as straightforward: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), forced to acknowledge that their post-breakup gloom is rivaled only by their dog's, take a cheer-up vacation to a dog-friendly resort. At this location, predictably, they will presumably rediscover the idea that they should reunite. Side characters – featuring a group of comedic actors – fulfill roles quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Its aesthetic carries the feel of a branded content, with a Christmas setting that is visibly contrived – exemplified by flurries clinging to lush pines as a summer location doubles as a cold December city.
The Dog's Domain
How these standard ingredients merge into a pleasant experience hinges on the execution and an acceptance of comfort viewing. On the latter point, Merv hones in on a demographic – the kind who seek out for dog videos. The film delivers a wealth of canine-centric sequences. The primary selling point is the canine star, and though it results in some clunky cuts between what the dog does and people's faces, the movie succeeds in showing canine party antics, pet moping, and, ultimately, pure puppy happiness.
The Human Element
This level of success cannot be applied for the interpersonal drama. Its style vacillates between emotional depth, zany antics, standard rom-com beats, and physical comedy, not quite landing a single genre. This is not Charlie Cox, who is admirably committed the absurd and awkward demanded of the dog resort scenario. Cox exhibits a likable self-deprecation that provides much of the film's charm for this seemingly ideal couple. Anna's portrayer, as is her trademark, imparts a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna comes across as a touch too detached, especially when contrasted against Cox's genuine sadness. (It should be noted, Gus the Dog is convincing at flopping and whining – he may not be the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he's definitely an excellent dog.)
Merv tries to add substance to the couple's history for scenes without their pet – a bit of a pity, since Merv is undoubtedly the best part of this cute-aiming movie. As one might predict, it just about gets by. The cause for their separation might seem more grounded and mature with less exposition and more subtle storytelling. Ultimately, Merv is light and sugary, meeting precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie with this canine conflict is not terrible – but it's not exactly a great one either.
- Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video this December.
