This is a common warning for numerous people that co-parenting a canine companion following a split is a terrible idea. Most will argue such arrangements prevent individuals from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, spark arguments, and become annoying across the board. Seemingly, and in a twist suited to a direct-to-platform film, it also makes the dogs themselves to become depressed.
Without minimizing the inner life of our pets – countless people observe their deep emotional capacity. If you need masterclass in pet despair, one need only look recent cinema. It seems certain that a dog like Merv, a scruffy terrier type portrayed by Gus the Dog, would struggle coping with divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom on this conflict works effectively seems rather doubtful.Predictable Foundations
Fairness demands noting, Merv, written by the writing duo and directed by director Swale, doesn't pretend to be more profound than what it is. It functions as a holiday release from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the depth are modest. The narrative is destined to be simple and direct: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their individual funk is rivaled only by their dog's, embark on a uplifting getaway to a canine-centric retreat. At this location, predictably, they will undoubtedly rediscover the idea that they should reunite. Ensemble players – played by familiar faces – serve as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Visually is reminiscent of a platform's in-house production, with a holiday backdrop that is clearly manufactured – as seen in obvious snow effects clinging to green trees as a warm climate substitutes for a wintery Boston.
The Dog's Domain
Whether these standard ingredients come together into something enjoyable depends on the execution and the viewer's appetite for comfort viewing. Regarding the second aspect, Merv hones in on a demographic – those people who scroll endlessly for cute animal clips. The film delivers a plethora of adorable dog montages. The main attraction is the canine star, and while this leads to some awkward editing between animal action and people's faces, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, pet moping, and, ultimately, pure puppy happiness.
The Human Element
Such effectiveness cannot be applied for the interpersonal drama. The tone shifts uneasily between relationship drama, zany antics, formulaic romance, and outright slapstick, not quite landing a single genre. The fault lies not with Cox's performance, who is fully game the humiliating and funny demanded of the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a endearing lack of ego that offers a significant portion of the appeal for this ostensibly perfect couple. Anna's portrayer, true to her usual style, imparts a certain millennial quirkiness that will click for some but not others. Her portrayal can feel a touch too detached, notably when alongside Cox's genuine sadness. (On another note, Merv himself succeeds in flopping and whining – while no the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he is still a scene-stealer.)
The film attempts to give weight to Anna and Russ's relationship for sequences focusing solely on them – a bit of a pity, since Merv is easily the most adorable aspect of this cute-aiming movie. Unsurprisingly, it just about gets by. The cause for their separation could have been more nuanced with less exposition and less blunt explanation. As it stands, Merv is slight and sweet, meeting every expected note. Crafting a story with this canine conflict is not terrible – even if I wouldn't call it a stroke of genius.
- Merv streams on Amazon Prime Video this December.
