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This is a widely held belief for numerous people that co-parenting a dog post-separation is a terrible idea. Experts frequently claim such arrangements impede individuals from healing, cause practical headaches, lead to tension, and become annoying for all parties. Apparently, in a revelation suited to a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to our furry friends to feel down.

Without minimizing the emotional well-being of our pets – many owners observe their deep emotional capacity. To witness a standout portrayal in pet despair, consider a past film. I firmly believe that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix portrayed by the canine actor Gus, would have a hard time adapting to life in two homes. The idea of basing a full holiday film around this situation is sustainable seems a questionable prospect.

Standard Holiday Fare

Honestly, Merv, written by its screenwriters and directed by playwright Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims anything more than its premise. It functions as a Christmas movie from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the ambitions remains surface-level. The plot proves to be straightforward: exes Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), realizing that their own sadness is matched by their dog's, decide on a therapeutic trip to a canine-centric retreat. At this location, predictably, they will undoubtedly stumble toward the idea that they are better together. Ensemble players – featuring a group of comedic actors – fulfill roles eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Visually is reminiscent of a platform's in-house production, with a Christmas setting that is clearly manufactured – think fake snow clinging to green trees as a summer location substitutes for a wintery Boston.

The Canine Charisma

How these standard ingredients coalesce into something enjoyable rests upon the strength of the performances and one's taste for comfort viewing. Regarding the second aspect, Merv targets a specific viewer – individuals who seek out for cute animal clips. Audiences receive a wealth of scenes focused on the pet. The primary selling point is the dog, and even if it causes some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and people's faces, the movie does offer walking sequences, pet moping, and, finally, doggie joy.

The Two-Legged Cast

Such effectiveness cannot be applied for the romantic plot. The tone shifts uneasily between relationship drama, wacky comedy, standard rom-com beats, and physical comedy, never fully committing to any one mode. The fault lies not with Cox's performance, who is fully game the absurd and awkward demanded of the unusual premise. Cox exhibits a likable self-deprecation that supplies a significant portion of the appeal for this ostensibly perfect couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, imparts a particular brand of eccentricity that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna can feel a touch too detached, especially when paired with Cox's vulnerable performance. (On another note, Gus the Dog succeeds in acting depressed – he may not be a canine thespian of that caliber, he's definitely an excellent dog.)

Merv tries to add substance to the central romance for sequences focusing solely on them – a bit of a pity, given that the dog is by far the most adorable aspect of this feel-good picture. As one might predict, it achieves only baseline competence. The catalyst for their separation would feel more grounded and mature with less exposition and less blunt explanation. As it stands, Merv is light and sugary, fulfilling every expected note. Creating a movie about dog co-parenting has potential – but it's hardly a brilliant concept.

• Merv streams on the Amazon platform starting December 10.