‘Merv’ Review: A Prototypical Rom-Com Barely Hidden Behind A Canine Facade

There exists a quote: “You can take the dog out of a fight, but you can’t take the fight out of the dog.” A simple twist and we can, albeit awkwardly, apply such a phrase to “Merv,” another romantic comedy in a long list of contemporaries which, despite scant traces of effort, fails in making its title character anything more than second fiddle to the couple who should rightfully take his place.

Optometrist Anna (Zooey Deschanel) and schoolteacher Russ (Charlie Cox) recently underwent a presumably painful breakup, but the fact that they share custody of terrier Merv means a situation where the two find themselves shuttling said canine back and forth between each other’s respective North Carolinian residences, each situated on or near a quaint main street decked out for the holidays as if shoplifted from any manner of Hallmark film. Though the two have adjusted to their new lives as best they can, with Anna even starting to date and Russ clearly still attempting to find some semblance of normalcy, it’s Merv who’s taking everything the hardest, with a near-constant whine, a dour expression, and an overall lack of energy defining his daily schedule.

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A trip to the vet rules out any physical issues. Still, as the doctor watches Anna and Russ bicker, it’s the latter who decides to take matters into his own hands by taking Merv out of town to a Florida-based beach resort for dogs and their owners, all in hope that this will be what breaks both free from their respective slumps; that is, until Anna materializes shortly after their arrival, with Merv’s condition worrying her enough to recognize that he’s better when she and Russ are together. Could a full-fledged reunion be that far behind? Have we seen this movie before?

Indeed, we have, and were one to use the latest in AI technology to digitally remove Merv from the film, the resulting product wouldn’t feel as if anything were missing, as it seamlessly shifts into any clone of this particular ilk. Cox, saddled with the majority of the humor, allows his natural English charm to elevate many of his lines into welcome comedic territory. At the same time, Deschanel, in a film that should be her element after countless similar efforts as “500 Days of Summer,” “Yes Man,” “Failure to Launch” and seven seasons of “New Girl, “struggles to find a unique character in Anna that manages to distance itself from any number of identical characters occupying her résumé while stumbling over lines that seem to show a lack of commitment to Anna’s overall plight. That’s not to say the film lacks in other areas, such as emotion, with an unexpected third-act arc involving the reasons behind the breakup going much further than, say, a failed marriage proposal. Unfortunately, supporting characters, such as a best friend of Anna’s, Rebekah (Jasmine Matthews), who not only happens to be married to Russ’ vice principal Desmond (Chris Redd) but who’s home life may very well figure heavily into Anna’s melancholy, can’t help but similarly fall victim to the dialogue; it’s not just Deschanel who’s falling short.  

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There do exist some welcome detours, with a trip to visit Russ’ Florida-based parents MJ and Jack (Patricia Heaton and David Hunt) offering a nice change of scenery and a peek into what the relationship between MJ and Anna was once like, while the inevitable potential love interest for Russ with a dog of her own (Ellyn Jameson) fulfills the requirement of showing Russ if the grass is indeed greener on the other side of the dating pool. As the film progresses, fortunately maintaining a pace that somehow never drags, the idea that these two may not achieve the inevitable reunion begins to form, owing a nod to “The Break-Up, “though it should be worth noting that, for nearly two paragraphs, the character that is Merv has now received nary a mention.  

It’s enough to label “Merv” a film primarily about everything but our presumed hero, a truly forgettable jaunt, one in which its rom-com bark achieves a decibel level far louder than its furry bite. Those redeeming elements can’t help rescue “Merv” from a future state of probable obscurity, a place where it’s similarly decided to place the adorable main character as well. [C-]

Brian Farvour

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