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

This is a widely held belief among many that sharing custody a canine companion following a split is ill-advised. Most will argue such situations impede former couples from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, spark arguments, and become annoying for all parties. As it turns out, in a revelation suited to a direct-to-platform film, it also makes the canine in question to become depressed.

While respecting the inner life of our pets – countless people attest to their profound sensitivity. To witness a masterclass in pet despair, one need only look a past film. I firmly believe that a dog such as Merv, a spirited little dog portrayed by the canine actor Gus, would struggle adapting to split households. The idea of basing a full holiday film around this situation works effectively seems debatable at best.

Standard Holiday Fare

Fairness demands noting, Merv, crafted by its screenwriters and helmed by playwright Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims deeper than a light film. We have here a holiday release from a corporate studio – the depth is limited. The narrative unfolds as uncomplicated: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), confronting that their post-breakup gloom is rivaled only by their dog's, decide on a therapeutic trip to a dog-friendly resort. There, inevitably, they will presumably rediscover the idea that they should reunite. The supporting cast – featuring Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – fulfill roles quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. The film's look has the quality of a streaming service original, with a holiday backdrop that is obviously artificial – think fake snow piled on green trees as North Carolina doubles as a wintery Boston.

The Dog's Domain

How these standard ingredients come together into something enjoyable hinges on the strength of the performances and one's taste for comfort viewing. Regarding the second aspect, Merv hones in on a demographic – individuals who browse regularly for pet content. Audiences receive a wealth of canine-centric sequences. The central draw is Merv himself, and even if it causes some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and the actors' responses, the movie delivers on dog beach fun, pet moping, and, ultimately, pure puppy happiness.

Where It Wobbles

This level of success is not earned for the human side of the story. Its style wavers between serious study, broad humor, formulaic romance, and physical comedy, never fully committing to any one mode. This is not the actor playing Russ, who is admirably committed the absurd and awkward inherent in the unusual premise. His performance contains a charming humility that provides much of the film's charm for this on-the-rocks couple. Zooey Deschanel, in her typical fashion, brings a particular brand of eccentricity that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna seems a bit too dry, especially when alongside Cox's genuine sadness. (It should be noted, Gus the Dog is convincing at acting depressed – not quite Messi from that acclaimed drama, he's definitely an excellent dog.)

The film attempts to add substance to the couple's history for scenes without their pet – a bit of a pity, given that Merv is easily the most adorable aspect of this cute-aiming movie. As one might predict, it meets the bare minimum. The reason for the split might seem more nuanced with more screen time and less blunt explanation. Ultimately, Merv is light and sugary, meeting precisely what you anticipate. Making a film with this canine conflict is not terrible – but it's not exactly a brilliant concept.

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