This is a common warning among many that sharing custody a pet after a breakup is ill-advised. Most will argue such arrangements impede former couples from healing, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and are a nuisance for all parties. As it turns out, in a revelation fit for a streaming movie, it can even cause the dogs themselves to experience sadness.
Not to downplay the emotional well-being of our pets – many owners attest to their profound sensitivity. For a standout portrayal in dog sorrow, one need only look another performance. I firmly believe that a dog such as Merv, a spirited little dog played by the canine actor Gus, would have a hard time adapting to life in two homes. The idea of basing a feature-length romcom around this situation holds water seems a questionable prospect.Predictable Foundations
To its credit, Merv, crafted by its screenwriters and helmed by director Swale, doesn't pretend to be anything more than what it is. It functions as a seasonal offering from a streaming platform giant – the complexity is limited. The narrative is destined to be straightforward: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their individual funk is surpassed by their dog's, take a therapeutic trip to a luxury pet hotel. There, inevitably, they will undoubtedly rediscover the idea that they should reunite. The supporting cast – featuring a group of comedic actors – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Its aesthetic carries the feel of a platform's in-house production, with a wintry atmosphere that is visibly contrived – think fake snow surrounding green trees as a warm climate substitutes for the Northeast.
The Canine Charisma
Whether these standard ingredients merge into a pleasant experience hinges on the strength of the performances and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. For the comfort factor, Merv hones in on a demographic – individuals who seek out for pet content. Audiences receive a plethora of scenes focused on the pet. The main attraction is the canine star, and even if it causes some stilted moments between animal action and the actors' responses, the movie does offer dog beach fun, canine sorrow, and, ultimately, doggie joy.
Where It Wobbles
This level of success does not extend for the human side of the story. The tone shifts uneasily between emotional depth, zany antics, predictable love story, and outright slapstick, failing to master any one mode. No blame falls on Cox's performance, who is willing to embrace the absurd and awkward inherent in the unusual premise. He brings a likable self-deprecation that provides the bulk of the chemistry for this ostensibly perfect couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, imparts a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal can feel a touch too detached, particularly when contrasted against Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (On another note, Gus the Dog is convincing at flopping and whining – he may not be the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he remains a very good boy.)
The film attempts to add substance to the couple's history for scenes without their pet – which is unfortunate, considering the title character is easily the cutest element of this feel-good picture. Expectedly, it achieves only baseline competence. The reason for their original breakup could have been more nuanced with more screen time and more subtle storytelling. Ultimately, Merv is slight and sweet, hitting all its marks. Crafting a story about dog co-parenting is not terrible – even if it's hardly a brilliant concept.
- Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video this December.
