This is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that sharing custody a pet following a split is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such situations impede individuals from finding closure, create logistical nightmares, spark arguments, and prove frustrating for everyone involved. Apparently, as a development suited to a direct-to-platform film, it also makes the canine in question to become depressed.
While respecting the inner life of animals – countless people attest to their profound sensitivity. To witness a prime example in pet despair, one need only look another performance. There is little doubt that a dog such as Merv, a spirited little dog played by a talented dog named Gus, would struggle coping with divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a full holiday film on this conflict is sustainable is debatable at best.Predictable Foundations
Fairness demands noting, Merv, the work of the writing duo and under the guidance of Jessica Swale, never aspires to be deeper than a light film. It functions as a holiday release from a corporate studio – the ambitions is limited. Its storyline is destined to be straightforward: former spouses Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their post-breakup gloom is surpassed by their dog's, take a uplifting getaway to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will presumably realize the idea that they are better together. The supporting cast – played by Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look has the quality of a branded content, with a wintry atmosphere that is clearly manufactured – as seen in obvious snow effects surrounding lush pines as a summer location doubles as a wintery Boston.
The Dog's Domain
Whether these standard ingredients coalesce into something enjoyable hinges on the strength of the performances and one's taste for comfort viewing. For the comfort factor, Merv targets a specific viewer – those people who seek out for dog videos. The film delivers a wealth of adorable dog montages. The central draw is Merv himself, and even if it causes some awkward editing between the pet's "lines" and the actors' responses, the movie delivers on canine party antics, dog depression, and, in the end, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Human Element
The same praise is not earned for the human side of the story. Its style shifts uneasily between serious study, broad humor, standard rom-com beats, and outright slapstick, failing to master any one mode. This is not Charlie Cox, who is admirably committed the absurd and awkward required by the bizarre setting. His performance contains a endearing lack of ego that provides much of the film's charm for this seemingly ideal couple. Anna's portrayer, as is her trademark, injects a certain millennial quirkiness that will click for some but not others. Her Anna comes across as a touch too detached, particularly when paired with Cox's vulnerable performance. (For what it's worth, the canine performer succeeds in acting depressed – he may not be the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he is still a scene-stealer.)
The story strives to add substance to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – a regrettable choice, since the dog is undoubtedly the cutest element of this film designed for charm. Expectedly, it meets the bare minimum. The cause for their separation might seem more grounded and mature with more screen time and more subtle storytelling. Ultimately, Merv is slight and sweet, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Crafting a story with this canine conflict isn't a bad idea – but it's not exactly a great one either.
- Merv streams on Prime Video on December 10th.
