This is a common warning among many that sharing custody a dog following a split is ill-advised. Most will argue such arrangements hinder individuals from healing, cause practical headaches, lead to tension, and are a nuisance across the board. Apparently, as a development fit for a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause the canine in question to feel down.
While respecting the emotional well-being of animals – pet parents observe their deep emotional capacity. For a prime example in dog sorrow, consider a past film. It seems certain that a dog like Merv, a scruffy terrier type portrayed by Gus the Dog, would find it difficult adjusting to split households. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom around this situation is sustainable remains debatable at best.A Familiar Formula
Honestly, Merv, crafted by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and directed by playwright Jessica Swale, never aspires to be more profound than what it is. This is a holiday release from a corporate studio – the complexity remains surface-level. The plot is destined to be uncomplicated: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, forced to acknowledge that their post-breakup gloom is matched by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. Once there, as expected, they will undoubtedly rediscover the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – played by Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – are crafted as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Visually carries the feel of a streaming service original, with a wintry atmosphere that is visibly contrived – exemplified by fake snow surrounding green trees as a warm climate stands in for the Northeast.
The Canine Charisma
How these predictable parts merge into a pleasant experience hinges on the actors' work and the viewer's appetite for cinematic comfort food. For the comfort factor, Merv knows its audience – individuals who seek out for cute animal clips. Audiences receive a plethora of adorable dog montages. The main attraction is the dog, and though it results in some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and people's faces, the movie delivers on dog beach fun, pet moping, and, ultimately, doggie joy.
Where It Wobbles
The same praise does not extend for the interpersonal drama. The tone vacillates between emotional depth, wacky comedy, predictable love story, and silly gags, failing to master a consistent feel. The fault lies not with Charlie Cox, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward required by the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a charming humility that supplies much of the film's charm for this on-the-rocks couple. Anna's portrayer, in her typical fashion, imparts a particular brand of eccentricity that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal can feel a little too aloof, notably when contrasted against Cox's vulnerable performance. (On another note, Merv himself manages looking despondent – he may not be Messi from that acclaimed drama, he remains an excellent dog.)
Merv tries to provide depth to Anna and Russ's relationship for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, given that Merv is easily the most adorable aspect of this feel-good picture. Expectedly, it just about gets by. The catalyst for the split would feel more grounded and mature with greater exploration and fewer direct statements. Ultimately, Merv is light and sugary, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Making a film on this shared-custody premise isn't a bad idea – but it's not exactly a great one either.
- Merv becomes available on the Amazon platform on December 10th.