It is an often-repeated piece of advice among many that co-parenting a dog post-separation is a recipe for trouble. Most will argue such setups prevent former couples from finding closure, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and are a nuisance for everyone involved. As it turns out, as a development fit for a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause the dogs themselves to feel down.
Without minimizing the emotional well-being of dogs – many owners speak of their remarkable empathy. If you need standout portrayal in canine melancholy, simply recall recent cinema. There is little doubt that a dog of Merv's nature, a scruffy terrier type brought to life by the canine actor Gus, would find it difficult coping with life in two homes. Whether this premise an entire Christmas romance on this conflict is sustainable seems rather doubtful.Standard Holiday Fare
Honestly, Merv, the work of Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and directed by director Swale, makes no grand claims deeper than a light film. This is a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the ambitions remains surface-level. Its storyline proves to be straightforward: a separated couple Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their own sadness is rivaled only by their dog's, decide on a cheer-up vacation to a dog-friendly resort. Once there, as expected, they will undoubtedly rediscover the idea that they should reunite. Side characters – including Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – are crafted as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Visually has the quality of a branded content, with a Christmas setting that is clearly manufactured – as seen in fake snow piled on lush pines as a summer location stands in for a wintery Boston.
The Dog's Domain
If these standard ingredients coalesce into something enjoyable rests upon the actors' work and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – the kind who seek out for dog videos. Audiences receive a wealth of canine-centric sequences. The central draw is the canine star, and while this leads to some clunky cuts between animal action and people's faces, the movie succeeds in showing canine party antics, canine sorrow, and, in the end, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Two-Legged Cast
This level of success is not earned for the interpersonal drama. The film's approach wavers between serious study, wacky comedy, predictable love story, and silly gags, failing to master a single genre. This is not Charlie Cox, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward demanded of the bizarre setting. His performance contains a endearing lack of ego that offers the bulk of the chemistry for this ostensibly perfect couple. Zooey Deschanel, in her typical fashion, brings a particular brand of eccentricity that will click for some but not others. Her portrayal seems a little too aloof, notably when contrasted against Cox's genuine sadness. (On another note, Gus the Dog is convincing at looking despondent – not quite a canine thespian of that caliber, he's definitely a scene-stealer.)
The film attempts to provide depth to the central romance for moments when the dog is absent – a regrettable choice, since the dog is undoubtedly the most adorable aspect of this feel-good picture. Unsurprisingly, it meets the bare minimum. The catalyst for their separation would feel more nuanced with greater exploration and more subtle storytelling. Ultimately, Merv is slight and sweet, meeting every expected note. Making a film about dog co-parenting is not terrible – even if it's hardly a great one either.
- Merv streams on Amazon Prime Video on December 10th.
