Film Analysis of Merv – A Four-Legged Actor Dominates the Show in Amazon’s By-the-Book Holiday Romance

This is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that co-parenting a pet post-separation is a terrible idea. Most will argue such setups hinder former couples from moving forward, create logistical nightmares, fuel disputes, and become annoying across the board. Apparently, as a development suited to a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause the dogs themselves to become depressed.

Without minimizing the emotional well-being of animals – pet parents attest to their deep emotional capacity. To witness a standout portrayal in pet despair, one need only look recent cinema. I firmly believe that a dog like Merv, a scruffy terrier type played by a talented dog named Gus, would have a hard time adapting to divided living arrangements. If this concept a feature-length romcom on such a setup works effectively seems a questionable prospect.

Standard Holiday Fare

To its credit, Merv, the work of Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and directed by director Swale, never aspires to be more profound than its premise. This is a holiday release from a corporate studio – the complexity is limited. The narrative unfolds as simple and direct: former spouses Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, forced to acknowledge that their own sadness is rivaled only by their dog's, take a cheer-up vacation to a luxury pet hotel. Once there, as expected, they will undoubtedly stumble toward the idea that they are better together. The supporting cast – played by familiar faces – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. The film's look is reminiscent of a streaming service original, with a Christmas setting that is visibly contrived – as seen in obvious snow effects piled on green trees as a warm climate stands in for a cold December city.

The Dog's Domain

Whether these familiar elements come together into a pleasant experience rests upon the actors' work and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. Regarding the second aspect, Merv targets a specific viewer – those people who seek out for dog videos. Audiences receive a wealth of canine-centric sequences. The central draw is the canine star, and though it results in some clunky cuts between what the dog does and the actors' responses, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, canine sorrow, and, ultimately, doggie joy.

The Two-Legged Cast

The same praise cannot be applied for the romantic plot. The film's approach vacillates between emotional depth, broad humor, standard rom-com beats, and physical comedy, failing to master a consistent feel. The fault lies not with Charlie Cox, who is admirably committed the silliness and cringe inherent in the bizarre setting. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that supplies the bulk of the chemistry for this on-the-rocks couple. Anna's portrayer, as is her trademark, brings a certain millennial quirkiness that will click for some but not others. Her portrayal can feel a little too aloof, notably when contrasted against Cox's vulnerable performance. (It should be noted, Gus the Dog manages acting depressed – he may not be Messi from that acclaimed drama, he remains a scene-stealer.)

The film attempts to add substance to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, given that the title character is easily the best part of this cute-aiming movie. As one might predict, it achieves only baseline competence. The catalyst for their separation could have been more adult and realistic with less exposition and more subtle storytelling. In the end, Merv is gentle and pleasant, meeting every expected note. Creating a movie about dog co-parenting is not terrible – though it's not exactly a stroke of genius.

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