It is a common warning in certain circles that jointly caring for a canine companion after a breakup is a recipe for trouble. Experts frequently claim such arrangements prevent individuals from healing, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and prove frustrating across the board. As it turns out, as a development fit for a streaming movie, it also makes the canine in question to become depressed.
While respecting the inner life of dogs – pet parents speak of their remarkable empathy. If you need standout portrayal in canine melancholy, simply recall a past film. There is little doubt that a dog such as Merv, a wired-hair terrier mix played by Gus the Dog, would struggle coping with life in two homes. The idea of basing an entire Christmas romance on such a setup holds water seems a questionable prospect.Predictable Foundations
Honestly, Merv, written by the writing duo and directed by Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims deeper than what it is. We have here a holiday release from a corporate studio – the depth is limited. The narrative unfolds as straightforward: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their post-breakup gloom is rivaled only by their dog's, take a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. At this location, predictably, they will presumably rediscover the idea that they belong with each other. Ensemble players – featuring familiar faces – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Visually is reminiscent of a streaming service original, with a Christmas setting that is obviously artificial – as seen in fake snow surrounding verdant foliage as a warm climate substitutes for a wintery Boston.
Where the Film Shines
How these predictable parts coalesce into an entertaining watch depends on the actors' work and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. Regarding the second aspect, Merv knows its audience – those people who browse regularly for cute animal clips. The film delivers a series of canine-centric sequences. The primary selling point is the canine star, and even if it causes some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and people's faces, the movie delivers on canine party antics, pet moping, and, finally, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Two-Legged Cast
Such effectiveness is not earned for the human side of the story. The film's approach vacillates between relationship drama, broad humor, predictable love story, and physical comedy, not quite landing a single genre. This is not the actor playing Russ, who is admirably committed the humiliating and funny required by the bizarre setting. His performance contains a charming humility that offers the bulk of the chemistry for this seemingly ideal couple. Her co-star Deschanel, in her typical fashion, brings a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. The character can feel a little too aloof, notably when alongside Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, Merv himself manages flopping and whining – while no the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he is still a very good boy.)
The story strives to add substance to the couple's history for scenes without their pet – a regrettable choice, given that Merv is by far the cutest element of this feel-good picture. Expectedly, it just about gets by. The catalyst for the split could have been more adult and realistic with less exposition and less blunt explanation. Ultimately, Merv is slight and sweet, hitting all its marks. Making a film with this canine conflict has potential – but it's not exactly a brilliant concept.
- Merv streams on Prime Video this December.
