This is a widely held belief for numerous people that sharing custody a pet post-separation is a terrible idea. Most will argue such setups impede individuals from healing, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and prove frustrating across the board. Seemingly, in a revelation suited to a streaming movie, it also makes our furry friends to experience sadness.
Not to downplay the inner life of dogs – pet parents attest to their profound sensitivity. For a prime example in canine melancholy, one need only look a past film. I firmly believe that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix brought to life by the canine actor Gus, would have a hard time adapting to split households. Whether this premise a full holiday film on such a setup works effectively remains debatable at best.Standard Holiday Fare
To its credit, Merv, written by the writing duo and helmed by Jessica Swale, never aspires to be anything more than its premise. This is a Christmas movie from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the complexity remains surface-level. The narrative proves to be straightforward: a separated couple Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, confronting that their post-breakup gloom is rivaled only by their dog's, decide on a therapeutic trip to a luxury pet hotel. Once there, as expected, they will surely realize the idea that they should reunite. Ensemble players – including Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Visually carries the feel of a branded content, with a Christmas setting that is visibly contrived – think flurries surrounding verdant foliage as a warm climate substitutes for the Northeast.
The Dog's Domain
If these standard ingredients come together into an entertaining watch hinges on the actors' work and the viewer's appetite for comfort viewing. On the latter point, Merv hones in on a demographic – individuals who seek out for cute animal clips. Audiences receive a wealth of adorable dog montages. The central draw is the canine star, and though it results in some clunky cuts between what the dog does and human reaction, the movie delivers on walking sequences, pet moping, and, in the end, pure puppy happiness.
The Human Element
This level of success is not earned for the human side of the story. Its style vacillates between relationship drama, broad humor, predictable love story, and outright slapstick, never fully committing to any one mode. No blame falls on the actor playing Russ, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward demanded of the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that provides much of the film's charm for this on-the-rocks couple. Her co-star Deschanel, in her typical fashion, injects a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna can feel a little too aloof, especially when contrasted against Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, Merv himself is convincing at looking despondent – he may not be Messi from that acclaimed drama, he is still a scene-stealer.)
Merv tries to provide depth to Anna and Russ's relationship for moments when the dog is absent – a bit of a pity, since the title character is by far the cutest element of this feel-good picture. As one might predict, it meets the bare minimum. The cause for the split could have been more grounded and mature with greater exploration and more subtle storytelling. As it stands, Merv is slight and sweet, meeting every expected note. Crafting a story on this shared-custody premise has potential – even if I wouldn't call it a brilliant concept.
- Merv streams on the Amazon platform this December.
