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This is a widely held belief for numerous people that co-parenting a canine companion after a breakup is a terrible idea. Experts frequently claim such situations impede former couples from healing, cause practical headaches, lead to tension, and are a nuisance across the board. As it turns out, in a revelation worthy of a direct-to-platform film, it reportedly leads to the canine in question to feel down.

While respecting the emotional well-being of our pets – pet parents attest to their profound sensitivity. If you need masterclass in dog sorrow, one need only look recent cinema. It seems certain that a dog like Merv, a scruffy terrier type played by a talented dog named Gus, would find it difficult coping with split households. The idea of basing a full holiday film around this situation works effectively seems rather doubtful.

A Familiar Formula

To its credit, Merv, the work of its screenwriters and helmed by director Swale, doesn't pretend to be more profound than what it is. This is a Christmas movie from a streaming platform giant – the ambitions is limited. The plot is destined to be straightforward: a separated couple Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, forced to acknowledge that their post-breakup gloom is surpassed by their dog's, decide on a cheer-up vacation to a canine-centric retreat. At this location, predictably, they will surely rediscover the idea that they are better together. Side characters – including familiar faces – fulfill roles quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Its aesthetic carries the feel of a platform's in-house production, with a Christmas setting that is clearly manufactured – as seen in obvious snow effects surrounding verdant foliage as North Carolina doubles as the Northeast.

The Canine Charisma

How these familiar elements come together into a pleasant experience hinges on the actors' work and the viewer's appetite for cinematic comfort food. For the comfort factor, Merv targets a specific viewer – individuals who browse regularly for dog videos. Audiences receive a plethora of adorable dog montages. The primary selling point is Merv himself, and while this leads to some stilted moments between what the dog does and human reaction, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, dog depression, and, finally, doggie joy.

Where It Wobbles

Such effectiveness cannot be applied for the human side of the story. Its style shifts uneasily between relationship drama, broad humor, formulaic romance, and physical comedy, failing to master any one mode. No blame falls on the actor playing Russ, who is willing to embrace the humiliating and funny demanded of the bizarre setting. Cox exhibits a endearing lack of ego that supplies the bulk of the chemistry for this seemingly ideal couple. Anna's portrayer, true to her usual style, brings a certain millennial quirkiness that will be to your taste or not. The character can feel a little too aloof, particularly when paired with Cox's genuine sadness. (For what it's worth, the canine performer manages flopping and whining – he may not be a canine thespian of that caliber, he remains a very good boy.)

The film attempts to give weight to Anna and Russ's relationship for scenes without their pet – which is unfortunate, given that the dog is easily the best part of this film designed for charm. Expectedly, it just about gets by. The catalyst for the split could have been more grounded and mature with less exposition and less blunt explanation. In the end, Merv is slight and sweet, hitting precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie on this shared-custody premise isn't a bad idea – but it's hardly a brilliant concept.

• Merv becomes available on Amazon Prime Video this December.