Merv - Review 

Rating: 2 out of 5

OH HO No, this supposedly heartwarming tale of a depressed dog and their heartbroken owners is designed to bring some festive cheer to rom-com fans and canine lovers alike: alas, it ends up feeling like a real dog’s dinner!

Merv, starring Daredevil: Born Again’s Charlie Cox and New Girl’s Zooey Deschanel, is as straight forward a seasonal release as it gets: everything is predictable, everyone is on auto pilot and the sense of emotional manipulation is cloying.

The story focuses on Russ (Cox) and Anne (Deschanel) as they attempt to move on with their lives following a split. The only trouble is, they’re sharing custody of their dog, Merv, who is as depressed as they are over the break-up.

Desperate to lead Merv out of his slump, Russ takes Merv to a dog resort in Florida - only to find that Anne has decided to follow. It’s therefore only a matter of time before the pair realise they’re meant for each other and everyone gets to live happily ever after.

So far, so generic. And that’s basically it. The story is padded out with a possible new love interest for Russ, as well as a visit to Russ’s parents, who still hold a candle for Anne, and a last act reveal that the main reason behind the split was Anne’s inability to cope with the revelation that she was unable to have children.

But that late drift into drama arrives too late and feels like a manipulation designed to tug at viewers’ heart-strings, while giving Cox and Deschanel something a little more meaty to work with.

It would have been better if there had been a little more of this complexity early on, to really flesh the characters out. Instead, Merv is more content to go with the fluffy stuff: with innumerable scenes of dogs having fun and Russ and Anne rediscovering their joy of being together.

It’s actually excruciating. Far from being able to collar a large, appreciative audience, it’s more likely to leave them feeling ruff!

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 108mins