‘Merv’ Review: Even an Adorable Terrier Performer Can’t Enliven Prime Video’s Wooden Rom-Com
Animals can feel heartbreak too. They feel sadness, fear, loss — these are just some of the emotions that poor sweet Merv, the adorable canine lead of “Summerland” director Jessica Swale’s sophomore feature has been navigating lately. Played by the handsome Terrier mix Gus (a very good boy, obviously), Merv doesn’t seem to know how to cope with his two humans’ recent breakup, to the extent that he has lost his bouncy spark and his tail wag as a result. If only the two people that mean the most to him could just get the pack back together.
Written by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart (of the delightful “Suze,”), “Merv” promises a cute romantic comedy, of “The Parent Trap” variety, except with a doggie twist. But sadly, the film doesn’t live up to its charming premise, spending most of its runtime chasing its own tail with pointless jokes and dog-related puns that are only mildly amusing, along with an undercooked love story that doesn’t know how to steal our hearts.
Playing Merv’s co-parents Anna and Russ are Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Cox, an eye doctor and an elementary school teacher respectively, who have just gotten out of a long-term relationship — the kind that was so deeply settled that it almost felt like a marriage. Apart from joint custody of Merv, the two don’t seem to have that much in common (and if they do, the film forgets to fill us in on their emotional history together). So it’s anyone’s guess how these two polar-opposite individuals were ever madly in love, with Anna being as buttoned-up as she is, and from at least the looks of his unkempt apartment, Russ being more on the casual side.
But for a while, we question neither this discrepancy nor the film’s clichéd and poorly-sketched side characters (among them is a school principal played by an underutilized Chris Redd) and go with the flow, simply because Merv/Gus is so darn lovable. And doesn’t he deserve to have both of his parents under one roof, if that is the one thing that he needs to be happy? But as the film progresses and uses up all its tricks early on, the severe lack of chemistry between Anna and Russ (and therefore, Deschanel and Cox) becomes hard to ignore. Perhaps even the most alluring actors can’t sell a spark that doesn’t exist on the page.
Still, there are plenty of cute dogs to go around throughout “Merv,” which might be the one reason that Swale’s broad rom-com might fetch your attention. Many of the four-legged cast members enter the story’s orbit when Anna and Russ decide to take Merv on a dog-friendly resort vacation (“Paw Seasons”) to help him find happiness again, before he goes back to his cold life and dual-home arrangement.
It’s predictable that Anna and Russ would fall back in love across the resort’s beachy activities, nightly dances and various different entertainment and dining options, all designed with dogs in mind. What’s surprising is how the energy that both Deschanel and Cox bring to the proceedings falls so flat.
We desperately want to root for the couple’s reunion when they make each other jealous with other potential love interests, and especially during one evening dance when the lift move from “Dirty Dancing” enters the conversation and the choreography. But like their dance moves, the vibes between them feel utterly wooden — think sexual apathy, instead of sexual tension. Also underserved across the board is the holiday season in which the film is set. Despite the existence of Christmassy colors and decorations, the joy throughout “Merv” is muted to a fault.
In the end, “Merv” amounts to straight-to-streaming filler of one-note visuals and emotions that might temporarily put a forgettable smile on your face. Too bad, as Gus and his genuinely impressive acting chops deserve a more cinematic treat.
