It is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that co-parenting a pet following a split is a recipe for trouble. Most will argue such arrangements prevent former couples from finding closure, cause practical headaches, spark arguments, and are a nuisance across the board. Apparently, as a development suited to a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to our furry friends to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the mental health of our pets – pet parents observe their profound sensitivity. If you need prime example in dog sorrow, simply recall a past film. It seems certain that a dog such as Merv, a scruffy terrier type portrayed by a talented dog named Gus, would find it difficult adapting to life in two homes. Whether this premise a full holiday film on such a setup works effectively is debatable at best.A Familiar Formula
Fairness demands noting, Merv, the work of Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and under the guidance of Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than what it is. We have here a Christmas movie from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the depth is limited. The narrative proves to be straightforward: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their individual funk is rivaled only by their dog's, embark on a therapeutic trip to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will undoubtedly rediscover the idea that they should reunite. Side characters – played by Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Its aesthetic has the quality of a branded content, with a Christmas setting that is visibly contrived – think fake snow surrounding verdant foliage as North Carolina substitutes for a cold December city.
Where the Film Shines
How these familiar elements come together into a pleasant experience hinges on the actors' work and one's taste for easy entertainment. On the latter point, Merv hones in on a demographic – the kind who scroll endlessly for dog videos. Audiences receive a plethora of canine-centric sequences. The main attraction is Merv himself, and while this leads to some awkward editing between the pet's "lines" and human reaction, the movie does offer dog beach fun, pet moping, and, in the end, a tail-wagging resolution.
Where It Wobbles
Such effectiveness cannot be applied for the interpersonal drama. Its style vacillates between serious study, broad humor, predictable love story, and physical comedy, never fully committing to any one mode. The fault lies not with Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward inherent in the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that supplies much of the film's charm for this on-the-rocks couple. Anna's portrayer, as is her trademark, imparts a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna can feel a bit too dry, particularly when alongside Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, the canine performer manages looking despondent – he may not be the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he is still an excellent dog.)
The story strives to give weight to Anna and Russ's relationship for scenes without their pet – a bit of a pity, considering the title character is easily the most adorable aspect of this film designed for charm. As one might predict, it meets the bare minimum. The cause for the split could have been more grounded and mature with greater exploration and less blunt explanation. As it stands, Merv is slight and sweet, meeting precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie about dog co-parenting isn't a bad idea – even if I wouldn't call it a great one either.
- Merv streams on the Amazon platform this December.
