This is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that co-parenting a pet after a breakup is a terrible idea. The consensus suggests such arrangements prevent individuals from healing, cause practical headaches, fuel disputes, and become annoying for everyone involved. Apparently, and in a twist suited to a streaming movie, it also makes the canine in question to experience sadness.
While respecting the mental health of animals – countless people observe their remarkable empathy. To witness a standout portrayal in canine melancholy, simply recall a past film. There is little doubt that a dog of Merv's nature, a scruffy terrier type played by Gus the Dog, would struggle adjusting to divided living arrangements. Whether this premise a full holiday film on this conflict is sustainable is rather doubtful.Standard Holiday Fare
To its credit, Merv, the work of its screenwriters and under the guidance of Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than its premise. It functions as a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the ambitions is limited. The narrative is destined to be straightforward: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their individual funk is matched by their dog's, embark on a therapeutic trip to a dog-friendly resort. There, inevitably, they will undoubtedly realize the idea that they belong with each other. Ensemble players – including familiar faces – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Its aesthetic has the quality of a branded content, with a holiday backdrop that is obviously artificial – as seen in fake snow surrounding lush pines as a warm climate substitutes for a wintery Boston.
The Canine Charisma
If these familiar elements come together into an entertaining watch depends on the strength of the performances and an acceptance of comfort viewing. Regarding the second aspect, Merv targets a specific viewer – those people who scroll endlessly for pet content. Audiences receive a wealth of scenes focused on the pet. The primary selling point is Merv himself, and though it results in some clunky cuts between animal action and the actors' responses, the movie succeeds in showing canine party antics, pet moping, and, finally, pure puppy happiness.
The Human Element
This level of success is not earned for the interpersonal drama. The tone vacillates between serious study, wacky comedy, predictable love story, and physical comedy, never fully committing to a single genre. This is not the actor playing Russ, who is admirably committed the absurd and awkward demanded of the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that supplies a significant portion of the appeal for this ostensibly perfect couple. Her co-star Deschanel, in her typical fashion, brings a certain millennial quirkiness that will click for some but not others. Her portrayal comes across as a bit too dry, especially when alongside Cox's genuine sadness. (On another note, the canine performer manages acting depressed – while no the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he's definitely an excellent dog.)
The film attempts to give weight to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – a bit of a pity, given that Merv is by far the best part of this film designed for charm. Expectedly, it just about gets by. The cause for the split might seem more adult and realistic with more screen time and more subtle storytelling. In the end, Merv is gentle and pleasant, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Crafting a story with this canine conflict isn't a bad idea – though I wouldn't call it a great one either.
- Merv premieres on the Amazon platform this December.
