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It is a common warning among many that sharing custody a canine companion after a breakup is ill-advised. Experts frequently claim such arrangements impede individuals from finding closure, cause practical headaches, spark arguments, and prove frustrating for all parties. Seemingly, in a revelation worthy of a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause our furry friends to experience sadness.

While respecting the mental health of dogs – countless people attest to their profound sensitivity. If you need standout portrayal in pet despair, one need only look recent cinema. It seems certain that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix played by Gus the Dog, would find it difficult adapting to divided living arrangements. The idea of basing an entire Christmas romance around this situation works effectively seems debatable at best.

A Familiar Formula

Fairness demands noting, Merv, the work of Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and helmed by playwright Jessica Swale, never aspires to be anything more than what it is. It functions as a holiday release from a streaming platform giant – the ambitions remains surface-level. The plot unfolds as uncomplicated: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, forced to acknowledge that their post-breakup gloom is rivaled only by their dog's, embark on a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will undoubtedly rediscover the idea that they should reunite. Ensemble players – featuring a group of comedic actors – are crafted as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Visually is reminiscent of a streaming service original, with a holiday backdrop that is visibly contrived – exemplified by fake snow surrounding green trees as a summer location stands in for the Northeast.

Where the Film Shines

How these standard ingredients come together into an entertaining watch hinges on the execution and one's taste for cinematic comfort food. Regarding the second aspect, Merv hones in on a demographic – those people who browse regularly for pet content. The film delivers a plethora of canine-centric sequences. The main attraction is the canine star, and even if it causes some awkward editing between animal action and the actors' responses, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, canine sorrow, and, finally, pure puppy happiness.

The Two-Legged Cast

This level of success does not extend for the human side of the story. The film's approach vacillates between relationship drama, wacky comedy, predictable love story, and physical comedy, never fully committing to a single genre. This is not the actor playing Russ, who is willing to embrace the humiliating and funny inherent in the dog resort scenario. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that provides the bulk of the chemistry for this seemingly ideal couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, imparts a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. The character comes across as a touch too detached, especially when alongside Cox's vulnerable performance. (It should be noted, Merv himself manages acting depressed – not quite Messi from that acclaimed drama, he remains a very good boy.)

Merv tries to give weight to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – which is unfortunate, since the dog is easily the cutest element of this film designed for charm. Expectedly, it just about gets by. The catalyst for their separation could have been more grounded and mature with greater exploration and less blunt explanation. In the end, Merv is gentle and pleasant, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie about dog co-parenting has potential – even if it's hardly a stroke of genius.

• Merv streams on Prime Video starting December 10.