🔗 Share this article

This is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that sharing custody a pet after a breakup is ill-advised. Experts frequently claim such arrangements impede former couples from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, spark arguments, and prove frustrating across the board. Seemingly, in a revelation fit for a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to our furry friends to become depressed.

While respecting the emotional well-being of dogs – pet parents attest to their deep emotional capacity. To witness a prime example in dog sorrow, simply recall recent cinema. It seems certain that a dog like Merv, a scruffy terrier type portrayed by Gus the Dog, would struggle adjusting to split households. If this concept a feature-length romcom on such a setup works effectively seems debatable at best.

Standard Holiday Fare

Honestly, Merv, the work of the writing duo and under the guidance of director Swale, doesn't pretend to be more profound than a light film. We have here a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the depth is limited. The narrative is destined to be uncomplicated: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), forced to acknowledge that their own sadness is rivaled only by their dog's, take a therapeutic trip to a luxury pet hotel. There, inevitably, they will undoubtedly stumble toward the idea that they are better together. Side characters – featuring familiar faces – fulfill roles quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look has the quality of a branded content, with a Christmas setting that is clearly manufactured – think obvious snow effects surrounding green trees as a warm climate stands in for the Northeast.

The Canine Charisma

If these predictable parts coalesce into an entertaining watch hinges on the execution and an acceptance of easy entertainment. For the comfort factor, Merv targets a specific viewer – those people who browse regularly for dog videos. The film delivers a series of canine-centric sequences. The main attraction is Merv himself, and while this leads to some clunky cuts between what the dog does and people's faces, the movie does offer dog beach fun, pet moping, and, in the end, doggie joy.

The Human Element

Such effectiveness cannot be applied for the human side of the story. The tone shifts uneasily between serious study, zany antics, predictable love story, and physical comedy, failing to master a consistent feel. This is not Cox's performance, who is fully game the silliness and cringe demanded of the bizarre setting. He brings a endearing lack of ego that offers much of the film's charm for this seemingly ideal couple. Her co-star Deschanel, in her typical fashion, imparts a particular brand of eccentricity that will be to your taste or not. The character comes across as a bit too dry, particularly when paired with Cox's genuine sadness. (On another note, Merv himself manages acting depressed – while no the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he's definitely a very good boy.)

The film attempts to provide depth to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, since the dog is undoubtedly the most adorable aspect of this feel-good picture. As one might predict, it just about gets by. The cause for their original breakup could have been more nuanced with greater exploration and fewer direct statements. In the end, Merv is light and sugary, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Making a film with this canine conflict has potential – even if it's not exactly a great one either.

• Merv becomes available on the Amazon platform on December 10th.