This is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that sharing custody a dog following a split is ill-advised. Experts frequently claim such setups hinder former couples from moving forward, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and are a nuisance for all parties. Seemingly, as a development fit for a streaming movie, it reportedly leads to the dogs themselves to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the mental health of dogs – pet parents speak of their profound sensitivity. For a standout portrayal in canine melancholy, one need only look another performance. I firmly believe that a dog like Merv, a scruffy terrier type portrayed by Gus the Dog, would struggle adapting to divided living arrangements. If this concept a feature-length romcom on such a setup holds water seems a questionable prospect.A Familiar Formula
To its credit, Merv, the work of its screenwriters and under the guidance of playwright Jessica Swale, never aspires to be deeper than what it is. It functions as a holiday release from a corporate studio – the ambitions remains surface-level. Its storyline unfolds as straightforward: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their own sadness is rivaled only by their dog's, decide on a cheer-up vacation to a dog-friendly resort. At this location, predictably, they will surely realize the idea that they should reunite. The supporting cast – featuring a group of comedic actors – serve as the usual assortment of types. Visually has the quality of a branded content, with a Christmas setting that is clearly manufactured – exemplified by flurries piled on green trees as North Carolina doubles as the Northeast.
The Dog's Domain
If these familiar elements coalesce into a pleasant experience hinges on the strength of the performances and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. On the latter point, Merv targets a specific viewer – the kind who browse regularly for pet content. Audiences receive a wealth of canine-centric sequences. The main attraction is the canine star, and while this leads to some stilted moments between what the dog does and people's faces, the movie delivers on canine party antics, pet moping, and, ultimately, pure puppy happiness.
The Two-Legged Cast
The same praise is not earned for the interpersonal drama. The tone vacillates between emotional depth, wacky comedy, predictable love story, and physical comedy, failing to master a consistent feel. No blame falls on Charlie Cox, who is fully game the humiliating and funny demanded of the bizarre setting. His performance contains a endearing lack of ego that provides a significant portion of the appeal for this on-the-rocks couple. Zooey Deschanel, in her typical fashion, injects a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna can feel a bit too dry, especially when paired with Cox's vulnerable performance. (It should be noted, the canine performer is convincing at flopping and whining – he may not be the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he's definitely a scene-stealer.)
The story strives to give weight to the couple's history for moments when the dog is absent – which is unfortunate, since Merv is easily the cutest element of this film designed for charm. Expectedly, it achieves only baseline competence. The catalyst for their original breakup might seem more adult and realistic with less exposition and less blunt explanation. Ultimately, Merv is light and sugary, hitting all its marks. Making a film on this shared-custody premise is not terrible – though I wouldn't call it a brilliant concept.
- Merv premieres on Amazon Prime Video on December 10th.
