It is a widely held belief among many that co-parenting a pet after a breakup is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such setups impede individuals from moving forward, cause practical headaches, lead to tension, and prove frustrating across the board. As it turns out, in a revelation fit for a streaming movie, it reportedly leads to the canine in question to feel down.
While respecting the mental health of animals – countless people observe their remarkable empathy. If you need prime example in canine melancholy, simply recall a past film. There is little doubt that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix played by Gus the Dog, would struggle coping with split households. The idea of basing a feature-length romcom around this situation is sustainable is rather doubtful.Predictable Foundations
To its credit, Merv, the work of the writing duo and helmed by Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than its premise. This is a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the complexity are modest. Its storyline proves to be straightforward: a separated couple Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, forced to acknowledge that their individual funk is matched by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. Once there, as expected, they will undoubtedly stumble toward the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – featuring familiar faces – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Its aesthetic carries the feel of a branded content, with a holiday backdrop that is obviously artificial – think obvious snow effects surrounding green trees as North Carolina stands in for a cold December city.
Where the Film Shines
If these standard ingredients merge into something enjoyable hinges on the strength of the performances and an acceptance of cinematic comfort food. For the comfort factor, Merv targets a specific viewer – the kind who scroll endlessly for cute animal clips. It provides a series of adorable dog montages. The central draw is Merv himself, and while this leads to some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and the actors' responses, the movie delivers on walking sequences, dog depression, and, finally, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Human Element
The same praise cannot be applied for the interpersonal drama. The film's approach shifts uneasily between relationship drama, wacky comedy, predictable love story, and silly gags, failing to master a consistent feel. The fault lies not with Cox's performance, who is admirably committed the humiliating and funny inherent in the unusual premise. He brings a endearing lack of ego that supplies a significant portion of the appeal for this seemingly ideal couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, brings a particular brand of eccentricity that will click for some but not others. Her portrayal comes across as a touch too detached, especially when alongside Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (For what it's worth, Gus the Dog is convincing at looking despondent – he may not be a canine thespian of that caliber, he is still a very good boy.)
Merv tries to give weight to the couple's history for moments when the dog is absent – a bit of a pity, since Merv is easily the most adorable aspect of this cute-aiming movie. As one might predict, it just about gets by. The cause for their original breakup could have been more adult and realistic with less exposition and more subtle storytelling. As it stands, Merv is light and sugary, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Crafting a story with this canine conflict is not terrible – but I wouldn't call it a great one either.
- Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video this December.
