Reviews
Merv
Put an adorable dog like Merv in any movie and you’ll have me hooked. I’m an absolute sucker for a good canine movie, so when you throw a good boy like Merv front and centre of the poster, one thing is for sure, I’ll be watching. Mix that with Christmas and surely you’re onto a winner at least with me anyway. That’s why I can’t help feeling overwhelmingly disappointed that Prime Video’s romcom Merv lacks the charm, charisma and really any bite to make it last more than five minutes in the memory once the credits begin to roll.
The story follows an adorable and scruffy little terrier who isn’t his usual self after the breakup of his owners Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel). The pair split six months prior and are now attempting to co-parent Merv, because that’s obviously an arrangement that always works out in the long run and definitely isn’t a recipe for disaster in real world circumstances.
Russ, much like his canine friend, is a British elementary teacher who is clearly still down in the dumps post breakup, locking himself away with only his pupils and Merv for company. Well, most of the time, because of course we need the token annoying best friend. Here, that’s Desmond (Chris Redd), Russ’ boss and vice principal, who has absolutely no grasp of personal boundaries and isn’t much use in the emotional support department as he pushes Russ through the heartbreak.
Anna, an optometrist, faces similar issues. She refuses to reenter the dating pool, but her best friend Carly (Victoria Blade) also has severe boundary issues and signs her up for dating apps behind her back. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t strike me as normal behaviour or anything close to supportive. Naturally Anna ends up on a date with the most arrogant man imaginable, giving her the most stereotypical worst first date you can picture.
But with our puppy friend still not himself, Russ and Anna take him to the vet where the poor little guy is diagnosed with canine depression, their weird human arrangement clearly not meeting his lofty needs. Hoping to bring Merv back to his happy little self, Russ arranges a guys trip for him and his furry buddy to Sunnyside Dog Beach. Now if you think for even a second that a doggy beach trip would win him around, think again. When that fails and it becomes painfully clear Merv is only content when they’re all together, Anna appears in a flash to save the day.
If you said that synopsis sounds remarkably similar to The Parent Trap with a dog replacing the children, I’d say you’re barking up the right tree. Except I can’t say this movie is entirely about Merv the way it really feels like it should be. In fact, if you took him out entirely, I’m not convinced anything would change as the film runs through the same tired tropes we’ve seen countless times. Merv becomes more of a backseat fixture instead of the central heart he deserves to be.
The script from husband and wife duo Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart is as harmless as they come. Nothing new or interesting is said, and from start to finish it feels like it is simply going through the motions, ticking the required boxes on its way to becoming yet another forgettable romcom from the pair. Credit where it’s due though, director Jessica Swale does her best to keep the pace moving so that despite the eye rolling moments, and there are plenty, audiences won’t be outright bored.
Charlie Cox and Zooey Deschanel are much like the rest of the movie, perfectly inoffensive in their performances. Neither does anything to elevate the middling material they’re given, and with so little authentic chemistry or believable emotional pull between them, the friend zone honestly feels like a more realistic outcome.
If you’re looking for a very simple, by the book Christmas romantic comedy then Merv might scratch that itch. But if you want something with even a hint of depth or anything memorable beneath the surface, this probably isn’t the one. There’s nothing particularly cute, funny, or dramatic enough to make it worth seeking out this weekend. Poor Merv. I think I’m a little bit sad too after sitting through that.
