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It is an often-repeated piece of advice for numerous people that jointly caring for a dog following a split is a recipe for trouble. Experts frequently claim such arrangements hinder individuals from healing, cause practical headaches, spark arguments, and become annoying for everyone involved. Apparently, as a development fit for a streaming movie, it also makes the dogs themselves to experience sadness.

Without minimizing the mental health of dogs – many owners speak of their profound sensitivity. If you need standout portrayal in pet despair, consider a past film. I firmly believe that a dog of Merv's nature, a spirited little dog portrayed by a talented dog named Gus, would find it difficult adapting to split households. Whether this premise a feature-length romcom on this conflict works effectively seems debatable at best.

Standard Holiday Fare

Fairness demands noting, Merv, the work of Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart and helmed by Jessica Swale, doesn't pretend to be anything more than its premise. It functions as a seasonal offering from a major tech-and-media conglomerate – the complexity are modest. Its storyline unfolds as straightforward: a separated couple Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, confronting that their own sadness is matched by their dog's, take a uplifting getaway to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will presumably stumble toward the idea that they are better together. Side characters – including Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – are crafted as eccentric, underutilized, or over-the-top. Visually carries the feel of a streaming service original, with a holiday backdrop that is obviously artificial – think fake snow surrounding verdant foliage as North Carolina stands in for a cold December city.

The Dog's Domain

How these predictable parts merge into a pleasant experience rests upon the execution and the viewer's appetite for cinematic comfort food. Regarding the second aspect, Merv targets a specific viewer – those people who browse regularly for dog videos. The film delivers a wealth of scenes focused on the pet. The main attraction is the canine star, and while this leads to some clunky cuts between animal action and people's faces, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, dog depression, and, finally, pure puppy happiness.

The Human Element

This level of success is not earned for the human side of the story. The tone shifts uneasily between serious study, zany antics, formulaic romance, and outright slapstick, never fully committing to a consistent feel. The fault lies not with Cox's performance, who is admirably committed the humiliating and funny demanded of the unusual premise. His performance contains a likable self-deprecation that offers the bulk of the chemistry for this ostensibly perfect couple. Her co-star Deschanel, as is her trademark, imparts a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna seems a little too aloof, notably when alongside Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, Merv himself succeeds in flopping and whining – not quite the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he's definitely an excellent dog.)

The film attempts to add substance to the central romance for moments when the dog is absent – a regrettable choice, considering Merv is undoubtedly the most adorable aspect of this cute-aiming movie. Unsurprisingly, it meets the bare minimum. The catalyst for the split might seem more grounded and mature with less exposition and less blunt explanation. As it stands, Merv is slight and sweet, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Making a film about dog co-parenting has potential – though I wouldn't call it a great one either.

• Merv becomes available on Prime Video this December.