It is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that jointly caring for a pet post-separation is ill-advised. Most will argue such arrangements prevent individuals from moving forward, cause practical headaches, spark arguments, and prove frustrating across the board. Seemingly, as a development suited to a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause our furry friends to experience sadness.
While respecting the mental health of our pets – many owners speak of their deep emotional capacity. For a standout portrayal in dog sorrow, one need only look a past film. It seems certain that a dog such as Merv, a wired-hair terrier mix played by Gus the Dog, would struggle adapting to divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom on this conflict is sustainable is debatable at best.Predictable Foundations
To its credit, Merv, written by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and helmed by playwright Jessica Swale, doesn't pretend to be more profound than a light film. It functions as a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the ambitions are modest. The narrative is destined to be simple and direct: a separated couple Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their post-breakup gloom is matched by their dog's, embark on a therapeutic trip to a dog-friendly resort. There, inevitably, they will undoubtedly realize the idea that they should reunite. The supporting cast – including Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – are crafted as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Visually is reminiscent of a streaming service original, with a wintry atmosphere that is clearly manufactured – as seen in obvious snow effects clinging to lush pines as North Carolina substitutes for the Northeast.
Where the Film Shines
How these predictable parts come together into a pleasant experience rests upon the execution and one's taste for easy entertainment. For the comfort factor, Merv knows its audience – those people who seek out for pet content. Audiences receive a wealth of canine-centric sequences. The main attraction is the dog, and while this leads to some awkward editing between what the dog does and the actors' responses, the movie delivers on dog beach fun, pet moping, and, in the end, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Human Element
The same praise cannot be applied for the human side of the story. The tone shifts uneasily between serious study, wacky comedy, standard rom-com beats, and physical comedy, not quite landing a consistent feel. This is not the actor playing Russ, who is willing to embrace the silliness and cringe inherent in the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that provides the bulk of the chemistry for this ostensibly perfect couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, imparts a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal seems a little too aloof, particularly when contrasted against Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, the canine performer is convincing at looking despondent – while no Messi from that acclaimed drama, he is still a very good boy.)
Merv tries to provide depth to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, since the dog is easily the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. Expectedly, it achieves only baseline competence. The reason for their separation might seem more adult and realistic with less exposition and less blunt explanation. As it stands, Merv is gentle and pleasant, hitting all its marks. Making a film with this canine conflict is not terrible – even if it's not exactly a stroke of genius.
- Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video starting December 10.
