It is an often-repeated piece of advice in certain circles that co-parenting a pet post-separation is a terrible idea. The consensus suggests such situations prevent former couples from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, spark arguments, and prove frustrating for everyone involved. As it turns out, in a revelation worthy of a streaming movie, it reportedly leads to the dogs themselves to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the mental health of our pets – many owners observe their remarkable empathy. For a prime example in pet despair, one need only look a past film. It seems certain that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix portrayed by the canine actor Gus, would struggle adapting to divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom around this situation is sustainable remains debatable at best.Predictable Foundations
To its credit, Merv, the work of its screenwriters and helmed by director Swale, doesn't pretend to be deeper than a light film. We have here a seasonal offering from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the depth is limited. The narrative is destined to be simple and direct: a separated couple Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, realizing that their own sadness is rivaled only by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a luxury pet hotel. Once there, as expected, they will presumably realize the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – including Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – are crafted as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look has the quality of a platform's in-house production, with a holiday backdrop that is visibly contrived – think flurries piled on green trees as North Carolina doubles as a wintery Boston.
Where the Film Shines
How these standard ingredients merge into something enjoyable rests upon the execution and an acceptance of comfort viewing. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – those people who seek out for cute animal clips. Audiences receive a plethora of canine-centric sequences. The main attraction is the canine star, and even if it causes some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and human reaction, the movie delivers on canine party antics, pet moping, and, ultimately, pure puppy happiness.
Where It Wobbles
The same praise does not extend for the interpersonal drama. The film's approach shifts uneasily between emotional depth, wacky comedy, formulaic romance, and physical comedy, not quite landing a single genre. No blame falls on the actor playing Russ, who is willing to embrace the silliness and cringe required by the unusual premise. Cox exhibits a endearing lack of ego that provides much of the film's charm for this ostensibly perfect couple. Zooey Deschanel, as is her trademark, brings a particular brand of eccentricity that will click for some but not others. Her Anna can feel a bit too dry, notably when paired with Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, Merv himself is convincing at flopping and whining – he may not be a canine thespian of that caliber, he is still an excellent dog.)
Merv tries to provide depth to the central romance for scenes without their pet – a bit of a pity, since the dog is undoubtedly the best part 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 more screen time and more subtle storytelling. As it stands, Merv is gentle and pleasant, meeting precisely what you anticipate. Crafting a story about dog co-parenting is not terrible – but it's hardly a brilliant concept.
- Merv premieres on the Amazon platform on December 10th.
