This is a widely held belief among many that sharing custody a canine companion after a breakup is ill-advised. The consensus suggests such situations impede individuals from finding closure, cause practical headaches, lead to tension, and are a nuisance across the board. Seemingly, in a revelation fit for a streaming movie, it can even cause the canine in question to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the inner life of our pets – countless people observe their remarkable empathy. If you need prime example in pet despair, one need only look a past film. It seems certain that a dog like Merv, a scruffy terrier type played by a talented dog named Gus, would struggle coping with divided living arrangements. The idea of basing a full holiday film on such a setup holds water is debatable at best.Standard Holiday Fare
Fairness demands noting, Merv, crafted by its screenwriters and helmed by playwright Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than what it is. It functions as a seasonal offering from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the ambitions is limited. The narrative unfolds as simple and direct: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, confronting that their individual funk is rivaled only by their dog's, embark on a uplifting getaway to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will presumably stumble toward the idea that they are better together. Side characters – featuring familiar faces – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. The film's look is reminiscent of a branded content, with a Christmas setting that is visibly contrived – exemplified by flurries surrounding green trees as a warm climate substitutes for a wintery Boston.
The Canine Charisma
If these standard ingredients come together into something enjoyable depends on the strength of the performances and an acceptance of comfort viewing. Regarding the second aspect, Merv targets a specific viewer – the kind who seek out for pet content. The film delivers a plethora of adorable dog montages. The central draw is the canine star, and while this leads to some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and the actors' responses, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, canine sorrow, and, ultimately, doggie joy.
Where It Wobbles
Such effectiveness does not extend for the human side of the story. The tone shifts uneasily between emotional depth, broad humor, predictable love story, and physical comedy, never fully committing to a single genre. The fault lies not with Charlie Cox, who is fully game the absurd and awkward inherent in the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a endearing lack of ego that provides much of the film's charm for this seemingly ideal couple. Anna's portrayer, true to her usual style, brings a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. The character comes across as a touch too detached, notably when alongside Cox's genuine sadness. (On another note, the canine performer is convincing at flopping and whining – while no Messi from that acclaimed drama, he remains a very good boy.)
The story strives to give weight to the couple's history for scenes without their pet – a regrettable choice, considering the dog is undoubtedly the best part of this cute-aiming movie. Unsurprisingly, it meets the bare minimum. The catalyst for their separation could have been more grounded and mature with greater exploration and more subtle storytelling. Ultimately, Merv is gentle and pleasant, meeting every expected note. Creating a movie on this shared-custody premise has potential – but I wouldn't call it a great one either.
- Merv becomes available on the Amazon platform this December.
