It is a common warning among many that sharing custody a pet after a breakup is a recipe for trouble. Experts frequently claim such situations impede former couples from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, lead to tension, and become annoying for all parties. As it turns out, and in a twist fit for a streaming movie, it reportedly leads to the canine in question to become depressed.
Not to downplay the inner life of our pets – many owners speak of their remarkable empathy. To witness a masterclass in canine melancholy, one need only look a past film. I firmly believe that a dog like Merv, a spirited little dog brought to life by the canine actor Gus, would struggle adjusting to split households. If this concept a feature-length romcom on such a setup works effectively seems debatable at best.Predictable Foundations
Fairness demands noting, Merv, written by the writing duo and under the guidance of playwright Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than a light film. It functions as a holiday release from a corporate studio – the depth remains surface-level. The narrative is destined to be simple and direct: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), forced to acknowledge that their post-breakup gloom is surpassed by their dog's, decide on a therapeutic trip to a dog-friendly resort. At this location, predictably, they will presumably rediscover the idea that they are better together. Side characters – played by a group of comedic actors – are crafted as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Visually is reminiscent of a branded content, with a wintry atmosphere that is clearly manufactured – think fake snow piled on lush pines as a summer location doubles as a wintery Boston.
The Canine Charisma
How these predictable parts merge into an entertaining watch depends on the actors' work and an acceptance of comfort viewing. Regarding the second aspect, Merv knows its audience – those people who seek out for cute animal clips. The film delivers a wealth of adorable dog montages. The main attraction is the dog, and while this leads to some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and people's faces, the movie delivers on dog beach fun, pet moping, and, ultimately, pure puppy happiness.
The Two-Legged Cast
The same praise cannot be applied for the interpersonal drama. The film's approach shifts uneasily between emotional depth, wacky comedy, standard rom-com beats, and physical comedy, never fully committing to a single genre. This is not Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the silliness and cringe required by the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a endearing lack of ego that supplies the bulk of the chemistry for this on-the-rocks couple. Zooey Deschanel, in her typical fashion, brings a particular brand of eccentricity that will be to your taste or not. The character can feel a bit too dry, notably when paired with Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (On another note, the canine performer manages acting depressed – not quite a canine thespian of that caliber, he's definitely a very good boy.)
The film attempts to add substance to the couple's history for scenes without their pet – a bit of a pity, considering Merv is easily the most adorable aspect of this cute-aiming movie. As one might predict, it just about gets by. The reason for the split would feel more nuanced with greater exploration and more subtle storytelling. As it stands, Merv is slight and sweet, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Making a film on this shared-custody premise isn't a bad idea – but I wouldn't call it a great one either.
- Merv streams on Amazon Prime Video starting December 10.
