This is a common warning among many that sharing custody a pet after a breakup is a recipe for trouble. The consensus suggests such situations hinder former couples from finding closure, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and become annoying across the board. Seemingly, in a revelation suited to a direct-to-platform film, it also makes our furry friends to become depressed.
While respecting the inner life of our pets – many owners speak of their remarkable empathy. To witness a masterclass in dog sorrow, simply recall another performance. I firmly believe that a dog such as Merv, a scruffy terrier type played by a talented dog named Gus, would struggle coping with divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom on this conflict works effectively is debatable at best.Predictable Foundations
Honestly, Merv, crafted by the writing duo and helmed by director Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than a light film. We have here a Christmas movie from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the complexity remains surface-level. The narrative proves to be straightforward: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their own sadness is surpassed by their dog's, decide on a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. At this location, predictably, they will surely realize the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – featuring familiar faces – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look carries the feel of a platform's in-house production, with a holiday backdrop that is obviously artificial – exemplified by obvious snow effects piled on verdant foliage as a warm climate substitutes for a cold December city.
The Canine Charisma
How these standard ingredients merge into a pleasant experience rests upon the strength of the performances and one's taste for easy entertainment. Regarding the second aspect, Merv knows its audience – the kind who seek out for cute animal clips. The film delivers a plethora of canine-centric sequences. The central draw is the canine star, and even if it causes some stilted moments between what the dog does and the actors' responses, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, pet moping, and, in the end, pure puppy happiness.
The Two-Legged Cast
This level of success does not extend for the interpersonal drama. The film's approach vacillates between relationship drama, broad humor, formulaic romance, and outright slapstick, not quite landing a consistent feel. No blame falls on the actor playing Russ, who is fully game the silliness and cringe demanded of the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a charming humility that supplies a significant portion of the appeal for this on-the-rocks couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, imparts a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. The character seems a bit too dry, notably when paired with Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (It should be noted, the canine performer manages flopping and whining – while no Messi from that acclaimed drama, he remains a scene-stealer.)
Merv tries to add substance to the central romance for scenes without their pet – a regrettable choice, since the title character is undoubtedly the most adorable aspect of this film designed for charm. Unsurprisingly, it meets the bare minimum. The catalyst for the split would feel more nuanced with more screen time and less blunt explanation. As it stands, Merv is slight and sweet, hitting all its marks. Creating a movie on this shared-custody premise is not terrible – but it's not exactly a brilliant concept.
- Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video starting December 10.
