When is a Christmas film not a Christmas film? Despite the argument that crops up every single year about Die Hard (and don't start me on that again, people forget how many Christmas seasonal elements are in there as they argue against it), many movies are put forward as holiday treats without actually leaning in to the cheer and cheese of the season. Merv is one of those movies. It's not entirely tinsel-free, but there's a lengthy middle section that takes place in an area of Florida that is a far cry from any desirable winter wonderland.
Zooey Deschanel is Anna Finch, a woman who has recently ended a serious relationship with Russ Owens (Charlie Cox). They try to stay civil, for the sake of sharing the custody of their beloved dog, Merv, but it's tough. It gets tougher when Merv is diagnosed with depression. Russ decides to take him away to a doggy resort in Florida, but the trip becomes just a little bit more tense when Anna joins them. Will they be able to "fix" Merv, or will that only happen if they find a way to fix themselves?
Written by the husband and wife team of Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart, this is an enjoyable enough comedy drama that just doesn't do enough of what viewers may be wanting. The Christmas-tinged scenes are there, but few and far between. The rom-com stuff (or maybe it's more appropriate to refer to it as anti-rom-com stuff) doesn't come across as effortless or charming. So you're really left with a film that you will love or hate based on your reaction to Deschanel, Cox, and seeing lots of pampered pooches onscreen. There are lots of dogs wearing clothing in this film, and if that doesn't seem sweet to you then you should probably swerve this. (it's my partner's pet peeve, no pun intended, so she was rolling her eyes and swearing more than expected while we watched this).
The good news is that Deschanel and Cox are both fine in the lead roles. The bad news is that they're not used as well as they could be. They're stuck in an awkward place, working around one another as they focus on their dog and often avoid the real worries and fears occupying so much of their headspace, but one or two sequences (one involving some fun and dancing, the other getting to the heart of why they separated) hint at a better film hidden away here. Ellyn Jameson is another dog owner who takes a liking to our male lead, which makes him consider how much he is struggling to move on, and she does so well with the friendly and flirty conversation that viewers may be tempted to watch the film head in a completely different direction. Patricia Heaton and David Hunt are parents who are dutifully visited during the holiday season, and Chris Redd and Jasmine Matthews are friends who know what is best for our leads (as dictated by the movie anyway) before they eventually figure it out for themselves.
Director Jessica Swale does a serviceable job, but she feels as hampered as her leads. This is a film right in the middle, neither leaning into every trope nor pushing back against them in a way that could have considerably livened things up. The only thing it gets absolutely right is the cuteness of the main dogs, which means major bonus points for animal lovers. Everyone else will be likely to feel slightly disappointed by the time the end credits roll.
5/10
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