It is a widely held belief for numerous people that sharing custody a canine companion following a split is ill-advised. Experts frequently claim such situations hinder former couples from healing, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and become annoying across the board. Seemingly, in a revelation fit for a streaming movie, it also makes the dogs themselves to become depressed.
While respecting the mental health of animals – pet parents speak of their profound sensitivity. If you need masterclass in canine melancholy, simply recall another performance. It seems certain that a dog such as Merv, a spirited little dog played by Gus the Dog, would struggle coping with divided living arrangements. The idea of basing an entire Christmas romance around this situation holds water remains debatable at best.A Familiar Formula
Fairness demands noting, Merv, written by the writing duo and under the guidance of Jessica Swale, doesn't pretend to be anything more than what it is. It functions as a Christmas movie from a streaming platform giant – the complexity remains surface-level. The plot unfolds as uncomplicated: a separated couple Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, realizing that their individual funk is surpassed by their dog's, embark on a therapeutic trip to a dog-friendly resort. At this location, predictably, they will presumably realize the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – featuring Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – serve as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Its aesthetic has the quality of a branded content, with a holiday backdrop that is obviously artificial – as seen in flurries clinging to green trees as a summer location substitutes for the Northeast.
The Dog's Domain
If these familiar elements merge into a pleasant experience depends on the execution and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. On the latter point, Merv hones in on a demographic – the kind who browse regularly for cute animal clips. It provides a series of canine-centric sequences. The central draw is the dog, and even if it causes some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and human reaction, the movie succeeds in showing walking sequences, dog depression, and, in the end, pure puppy happiness.
Where It Wobbles
This level of success cannot be applied for the romantic plot. The tone vacillates between relationship drama, broad humor, predictable love story, and outright slapstick, failing to master a single genre. No blame falls on Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the silliness and cringe inherent in the bizarre setting. He brings a endearing lack of ego that provides a significant portion of the appeal for this on-the-rocks couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, injects a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. The character comes across as a little too aloof, especially when paired with Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, Gus the Dog manages flopping and whining – he may not be Messi from that acclaimed drama, he is still a very good boy.)
The film attempts to provide depth to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – a regrettable choice, since the title character is undoubtedly the cutest element of this feel-good picture. Unsurprisingly, it just about gets by. The catalyst for their separation could have been more adult and realistic with more screen time and more subtle storytelling. As it stands, Merv is slight and sweet, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Making a film with this canine conflict is not terrible – even if it's hardly a stroke of genius.
- Merv premieres on Amazon Prime Video this December.
