This is a common warning in certain circles that co-parenting a dog post-separation is a terrible idea. Experts frequently claim such situations impede individuals from finding closure, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and become annoying across the board. As it turns out, as a development fit for a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause the dogs themselves to become depressed.
Without minimizing the mental health of dogs – pet parents speak of their remarkable empathy. To witness a standout portrayal in pet despair, one need only look recent cinema. It seems certain that a dog like Merv, a spirited little dog portrayed by Gus the Dog, would have a hard time coping with divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom on this conflict is sustainable is rather doubtful.Predictable Foundations
To its credit, Merv, written by the writing duo and directed by director Swale, doesn't pretend to be more profound than its premise. This is a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the ambitions is limited. The plot proves to be uncomplicated: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their individual funk is surpassed by their dog's, embark on a uplifting getaway to a luxury pet hotel. At this location, predictably, they will surely realize the idea that they should reunite. Side characters – featuring familiar faces – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Visually carries the feel of a branded content, with a holiday backdrop that is visibly contrived – think flurries surrounding green trees as a warm climate doubles as a wintery Boston.
The Canine Charisma
If these familiar elements come together into an entertaining watch rests upon the execution and the viewer's appetite for comfort viewing. Regarding the second aspect, Merv targets a specific viewer – those people who browse regularly for pet content. The film delivers a series of canine-centric sequences. The main attraction is Merv himself, and while this leads to some clunky cuts between the pet's "lines" and people's faces, the movie does offer walking sequences, pet moping, and, finally, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Two-Legged Cast
This level of success cannot be applied for the interpersonal drama. The tone wavers between relationship drama, zany antics, formulaic romance, and silly gags, not quite landing any one mode. This is not Charlie Cox, who is fully game the absurd and awkward inherent in the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a endearing lack of ego that supplies the bulk of the chemistry for this seemingly ideal couple. Anna's portrayer, as is her trademark, brings a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna comes across as a touch too detached, especially when contrasted against Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, the canine performer succeeds in flopping and whining – not quite Messi from that acclaimed drama, he is still a scene-stealer.)
The story strives to give weight to the central romance for moments when the dog is absent – which is unfortunate, considering Merv is undoubtedly the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. Expectedly, it just about gets by. The catalyst for their original breakup would feel more adult and realistic with more screen time and more subtle storytelling. As it stands, Merv is slight and sweet, meeting all its marks. Creating a movie on this shared-custody premise has potential – though it's hardly a great one either.
- Merv becomes available on Prime Video starting December 10.
