Whereas most rom-coms are all about bringing collectively new, and typically unlikely, folks collectively for an opportunity at long-lasting love, there are the occasional ones through which a pair, both beforehand damaged up or in a downward swing, attempt to make issues work once more. Whether or not it is long-lost twin sisters attempting to secretly set their divorced mother and father up for love within the numerous Guardian Entice spins, or the wild love triangle between an ex-husband and ex-wife and her new beau in It is Sophisticated, there are methods to make the components really feel contemporary.
And that is the place Prime Video’s Merv tries to come back in. Hailing from playwright and theater director Jessica Swale and husband-and-wife writing duo Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart, the movie so desperately desires viewers to root for Zooey Deschanel’s Anna and Charlie Cox’s Russ to work by what broke them up and are available again collectively for the sake of their depressed titular canine that they basically co-parent. However even despite a few of its attraction, the film performs issues so protected that it virtually appears like an insult to viewers’ intelligence.
Merv’s Script Spells Out Every little thing To The Level Of Leaving No Nuance For Viewers To Mirror On
Buying and selling in his strolling stick and courtroom from Daredevil for glasses and a classroom, Cox co-leads the movie as Russ Owens, a delightfully charming elementary faculty instructor whose entire life previous to the beginning of Merv revolved a lot round each his canine and now-ex-girlfriend that even his college students really feel the aftereffects of their breakup. Deschanel, in the meantime, is an optometrist who buries any emotions she might have about her and Russ’ break up, and as a substitute devotes herself totally to her work and time with the eponymous pup, to the purpose of a good friend secretly working a Hinge account for her.
Because the bitterness over their break-up continues to linger whereas they co-parent, Russ and Anna develop into fearful about Merv’s well being, as he turns into more and more torpid. Taking him to the vet, they’re shocked to search out him recognized with melancholy, to which the physician chalks as much as the change in life routine with their break up, and warns of it resulting in coronary heart issues. Having additionally felt down because the break-up, Russ does some analysis and finds a Florida beachside retreat particularly for canines and canine homeowners, desperate to get a change of tempo from the snowy Boston panorama round Christmastime.
Regardless of Russ’ higher efforts, Merv continues to show depressed traits, till Anna crashes their getaway within the hopes of serving to the canine. With a full week booked, Russ and Anna discover themselves compelled to spend time collectively once more within the hopes of serving to their pet, but additionally get the chance to confront among the the explanation why their relationship fell aside the primary time round.
On paper, Merv might actually have gone in one among two instructions. With a fantastic script and nice performers, the latter of which it definitely has, the film might have been a sneakily candy deal with going into the vacation season for many who love rom-coms this time of yr. The opposite, which the film sadly finds itself usually taking a detour towards, is a Hallmark-level title that has no religion in its viewers’ intelligence.
For the opening third of the movie, through which we’re launched to the bickering Anna and Russ and their so-called “assist circle,” Clark and Stewart spell every little thing out so bluntly to the purpose of giving viewers a concussion. The lead characters are advised by fairly actually everybody round them who they’re and the way they’re feeling that it by no means appears like Cox or Deschanel get the prospect to determine a character of their very own, nor let the viewers have an natural entry level to the dysfunctional hijinks to come back in a while.
This turns into additional felt across the film’s midpoint, through which each Russ and Anna are introduced with potential new romantic pursuits aside from each other.
Even worse is the truth that there’s very not often a degree within the movie through which Deschanel’s Anna shouldn’t be basically painted because the film’s villain. Her considerably controlling strategy to caring for Merv is an appropriately annoying trait to observe, whereas her lack of outward dismay over her break-up with Russ leaves viewers with little early sympathetic moments.
This turns into additional felt across the film’s midpoint, through which each Russ and Anna are introduced with potential new romantic pursuits aside from each other. As anticipated from a rom-com revolving round a broken-up duo with lingering emotions for each other, this results in moments of jealousy and not-so-subtle sabotaging of their efforts to flirt with the brand new characters. However whereas this seemingly ends with the pair studying to care about one another extra, Merv as a substitute sees Anna’s potential new accomplice written out totally whereas Russ’ stays, feeling like a considerably poisonous siding with Cox over Deschanel.
This imbalanced writing is all of the extra obvious when the pair lastly have some appropriately deep conversations concerning the nature of their break-up. With out diving into spoilers, it is a reveal saved for close to the movie’s climax, and one that really might have made for an emotionally incisive have a look at each of the characters’ general outlook on relationships and what they need from one another, and make Anna’s happiness somewhat simpler to root for.
And but, the writing once more appears to favor Cox over Deschanel in these moments. The New Lady alum is allowed to get some heartfelt dialogue as she tries to defend her facet of the break-up, and the nicely-present Cox performs off these conversations nicely, however his character so shortly flips a swap from desirous to be supportive to being accusatory that it once more appears like Anna is in charge for every little thing.
However this definitely is of no fault of Deschanel or Cox. Throughout Merv‘s 105-minute runtime — one other drawback totally, because the film usually feels prefer it slows to a dreadful crawl — the pair are clearly doing their finest to raise the fabric past its bluntly boring nature, and so they do look to have had enjoyable in elements. However even they really feel so constrained by how overly saccharine the film desires to be with its romantic core that it by no means appears like both will get the prospect to evolve on display screen.
Finally, Merv should resonate nicely for many who have loved the likes of Lindsay Lohan’s latest Netflix vacation rom-coms and Hallmark’s neverending output within the style. It hits the acquainted beats that many discover comforting, it has an undeniably adoring canine entrance and middle for a lot of its runtime, and has a well-meaning sufficient consequence to its plot. However for these searching for one thing that does not fairly actually skate the floor of its premise and characters, that is positively not the movie for you.
Merv begins streaming on Prime Video on December 10.
- Launch Date
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December 10, 2025
- Runtime
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105
- Director
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Jessica Swale
- Writers
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Dane Clark, Linsey Stewart
- Producers
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Matthew Baer, Roma Downey
- The eponymous canine is appropriately cute and has just a few charming moments.
- Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Cox are clearly having a blast with each other.
- The script is so on the nostril that there is no room for subtlety or subtext.
- The makes an attempt at humor are woefully unfunny.
- Deschanel’s Anna by no means appears like she will get any sort of company with the boys in her life.