This is a common warning for numerous people that co-parenting a dog after a breakup is a recipe for trouble. Experts frequently claim such arrangements impede ex-partners from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, lead to tension, and become annoying for everyone involved. Apparently, and in a twist worthy of a streaming movie, it can even cause our furry friends to experience sadness.
While respecting the inner life of animals – many owners speak of their remarkable empathy. If you need standout portrayal in canine melancholy, consider recent cinema. I firmly believe that a dog of Merv's nature, a scruffy terrier type played by the canine actor Gus, would have a hard time adjusting to split households. The idea of basing an entire Christmas romance around this situation works effectively seems a questionable prospect.A Familiar Formula
Fairness demands noting, Merv, crafted by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and helmed by director Swale, never aspires to be deeper than its premise. This is a Christmas movie from a corporate studio – the depth are modest. Its storyline unfolds as simple and direct: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their post-breakup gloom is surpassed by their dog's, take a uplifting getaway to a luxury pet hotel. There, inevitably, they will presumably stumble toward the idea that they should reunite. Ensemble players – featuring a group of comedic actors – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Its aesthetic is reminiscent of a branded content, with a holiday backdrop that is visibly contrived – think flurries surrounding green trees as North Carolina stands in for a cold December city.
The Canine Charisma
How these standard ingredients merge into a pleasant experience hinges on the execution and an acceptance of cinematic comfort food. Regarding the second aspect, Merv knows its audience – the kind who browse regularly for pet content. It provides a wealth of scenes focused on the pet. The main attraction is Merv himself, and though it results in some clunky cuts between animal action and human reaction, the movie delivers on dog beach fun, pet moping, and, finally, a tail-wagging resolution.
Where It Wobbles
This level of success cannot be applied for the human side of the story. The film's approach wavers between emotional depth, broad humor, predictable love story, and physical comedy, not quite landing a single genre. The fault lies not with Charlie Cox, who is fully game the humiliating and funny required by the unusual premise. His performance contains a charming humility that offers much of the film's charm for this on-the-rocks 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 bit too dry, especially when alongside Cox's genuine sadness. (It should be noted, the canine performer is convincing at flopping and whining – while no a canine thespian of that caliber, he is still an excellent dog.)
The film attempts to add substance to the couple's history for moments when the dog is absent – which is unfortunate, considering the title character is by far the cutest element of this feel-good picture. As one might predict, it achieves only baseline competence. The catalyst for their original breakup could have been more adult and realistic with greater exploration and fewer direct statements. As it stands, Merv is slight and sweet, fulfilling all its marks. Creating a movie with this canine conflict is not terrible – but I wouldn't call it a stroke of genius.
- Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video on December 10th.
