🔗 Share this article

It is a common warning in certain circles that jointly caring for a dog following a split is a terrible idea. The consensus suggests such setups impede individuals from finding closure, lead to scheduling chaos, spark arguments, and prove frustrating for everyone involved. Seemingly, and in a twist suited to a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to the canine in question to experience sadness.

While respecting the mental health of animals – many owners speak of their deep emotional capacity. If you need standout portrayal in dog sorrow, consider recent cinema. There is little doubt that a dog of Merv's nature, a spirited little dog played by a talented dog named Gus, would find it difficult adapting to divided living arrangements. The idea of basing a full holiday film on such a setup is sustainable is rather doubtful.

A Familiar Formula

To its credit, Merv, written by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and under the guidance of Jessica Swale, never aspires to be more profound than what it is. It functions as a seasonal offering from a streaming platform giant – the depth are modest. The plot is destined to be uncomplicated: a separated couple Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their post-breakup gloom is rivaled only by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a luxury pet hotel. There, inevitably, they will undoubtedly realize the idea that they should reunite. Side characters – including familiar faces – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. The film's look is reminiscent of a branded content, with a wintry atmosphere that is clearly manufactured – think fake snow piled on verdant foliage as North Carolina substitutes for a wintery Boston.

The Dog's Domain

How these predictable parts come together into an entertaining watch depends on the execution and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – those people who scroll endlessly for cute animal clips. The film delivers a wealth of scenes focused on the pet. The central draw is Merv himself, and even if it causes some stilted moments between what the dog does and the actors' responses, the movie succeeds in showing walking sequences, dog depression, and, in the end, a tail-wagging resolution.

Where It Wobbles

This level of success does not extend for the romantic plot. The tone vacillates between relationship drama, broad humor, formulaic romance, and outright slapstick, failing to master any one mode. The fault lies not with Cox's performance, who is fully game the silliness and cringe inherent in the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a charming humility that supplies the bulk of the chemistry for this seemingly ideal couple. Zooey Deschanel, true to her usual style, brings a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. Her portrayal can feel a touch too detached, especially when contrasted against Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (It should be noted, the canine performer is convincing at acting depressed – he may not be Messi from that acclaimed drama, he's definitely a scene-stealer.)

The film attempts to provide depth to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, since the title character is by far the best part of this film designed for charm. As one might predict, it just about gets by. The reason for their original breakup could have been more nuanced with less exposition and more subtle storytelling. As it stands, Merv is gentle and pleasant, hitting all its marks. Creating a movie with this canine conflict is not terrible – even if it's not exactly a stroke of genius.

• Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video on December 10th.