This is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that co-parenting a dog after a breakup is a terrible idea. Experts frequently claim such setups impede former couples from finding closure, cause practical headaches, spark arguments, and become annoying for all parties. Apparently, and in a twist worthy of a streaming movie, it also makes the canine in question to experience sadness.
Without minimizing the inner life of our pets – many owners observe their deep emotional capacity. If you need standout portrayal in pet despair, consider recent cinema. I firmly believe that a dog like Merv, a scruffy terrier type brought to life by the canine actor Gus, would find it difficult adjusting to split households. If this concept a feature-length romcom on such a setup is sustainable seems debatable at best.A Familiar Formula
Honestly, Merv, the work of Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and under the guidance of director Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than its premise. It functions as a holiday release from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the complexity is limited. The plot proves to be simple and direct: a separated couple Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their individual funk is matched by their dog's, take a uplifting getaway to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will presumably rediscover the idea that they belong with each other. Ensemble players – including Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – serve as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look has the quality of a branded content, with a Christmas setting that is obviously artificial – think flurries piled on verdant foliage as a warm climate stands in for a wintery Boston.
The Dog's Domain
Whether these standard ingredients come together into an entertaining watch depends on the execution and one's taste for easy entertainment. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – individuals who seek out for dog videos. The film delivers a wealth of adorable dog montages. The main attraction is Merv himself, and while this leads to some stilted moments between what the dog does and human reaction, the movie delivers on canine party antics, pet moping, and, finally, a tail-wagging resolution.
The Human Element
The same praise cannot be applied for the human side of the story. The tone shifts uneasily between relationship drama, broad humor, formulaic romance, and silly gags, failing to master any one mode. This is not the actor playing Russ, who is willing to embrace the humiliating and funny inherent in the unusual premise. His performance contains a charming humility that offers a significant portion of the appeal for this ostensibly perfect couple. Anna's portrayer, true to her usual style, imparts a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna comes across as a little too aloof, especially when contrasted against Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (For what it's worth, Gus the Dog manages flopping and whining – not quite Messi from that acclaimed drama, he's definitely a very good boy.)
Merv tries to provide depth to Anna and Russ's relationship for scenes without their pet – a regrettable choice, since the dog is undoubtedly the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. Unsurprisingly, it just about gets by. The reason for their separation might seem more grounded and mature with less exposition and more subtle storytelling. As it stands, Merv is slight and sweet, meeting all its marks. Making a film with this canine conflict isn't a bad idea – though it's not exactly a brilliant concept.
- Merv becomes available on the Amazon platform this December.
