It is a widely held belief for numerous people that sharing custody a canine companion post-separation is ill-advised. Most will argue such arrangements hinder former couples from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, spark arguments, and prove frustrating across the board. As it turns out, as a development worthy of a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause the canine in question to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the inner life of dogs – countless people speak of their remarkable empathy. To witness a prime example in pet despair, one need only look a past film. There is little doubt that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix played by the canine actor Gus, would have a hard time adjusting to split households. If this concept a full holiday film on this conflict holds water is a questionable prospect.Predictable Foundations
Honestly, Merv, the work of the writing duo and helmed by director Swale, doesn't pretend to be deeper than a light film. This is a holiday release from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the depth remains surface-level. The narrative unfolds as simple and direct: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their individual funk is surpassed by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a luxury pet hotel. At this location, predictably, they will surely rediscover the idea that they belong with each other. Ensemble players – including familiar faces – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Visually has the quality of a branded content, with a Christmas setting that is visibly contrived – as seen in fake snow clinging to lush pines as a warm climate stands in for a cold December city.
Where the Film Shines
How these standard ingredients come together into a pleasant experience depends on the execution and the viewer's appetite for easy entertainment. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – individuals who scroll endlessly for cute animal clips. The film delivers a plethora of canine-centric sequences. The central draw is Merv himself, and though it results in some awkward editing between what the dog does and people's faces, the movie succeeds in showing canine party antics, pet moping, and, finally, doggie joy.
The Two-Legged Cast
Such effectiveness cannot be applied for the human side of the story. The film's approach vacillates between relationship drama, broad humor, predictable love story, and outright slapstick, never fully committing to any one mode. The fault lies not with Charlie Cox, who is willing to embrace the humiliating and funny required by the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that offers much of the film's charm for this ostensibly perfect couple. Her co-star Deschanel, in her typical fashion, imparts a distinctive offbeat energy that will click for some but not others. Her Anna comes across as a little too aloof, especially when alongside Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (It should be noted, Gus the Dog manages acting depressed – not quite the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he remains a scene-stealer.)
The film attempts to give weight to Anna and Russ's relationship for scenes without their pet – a bit of a pity, considering Merv is easily the best part of this cute-aiming movie. As one might predict, it achieves only baseline competence. The reason for their original breakup might seem more adult and realistic with greater exploration and fewer direct statements. Ultimately, Merv is light and sugary, hitting every expected note. Making a film on this shared-custody premise isn't a bad idea – even if I wouldn't call it a brilliant concept.
- Merv streams on the Amazon platform this December.
