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This is an often-repeated piece of advice among many that sharing custody a pet post-separation is a terrible idea. The consensus suggests such setups prevent former couples from moving forward, lead to scheduling chaos, lead to tension, and are a nuisance across the board. Seemingly, in a revelation worthy of a streaming movie, it also makes our furry friends to become depressed.

Not to downplay the emotional well-being of dogs – many owners attest to their profound sensitivity. To witness a prime example in canine melancholy, consider another performance. I firmly believe that a dog such as Merv, a scruffy terrier type played by Gus the Dog, would have a hard time coping with split households. The idea of basing a feature-length romcom on this conflict holds water remains debatable at best.

Standard Holiday Fare

Fairness demands noting, Merv, written by the writing duo and helmed by Jessica Swale, makes no grand claims more profound than its premise. We have here a seasonal offering from a corporate studio – the ambitions remains surface-level. The plot proves to be straightforward: exes Russ, played by Charlie Cox and Anna (Zooey Deschanel), forced to acknowledge that their own sadness is rivaled only by their dog's, take a uplifting getaway to a canine-centric retreat. There, inevitably, they will undoubtedly stumble toward the idea that they belong with each other. Ensemble players – played by Chris Redd, Jasmine Mathews, and others – are crafted as quirky, thinly written, or broadly comic. Visually is reminiscent of a branded content, with a Christmas setting that is visibly contrived – as seen in flurries clinging to lush pines as a summer location stands in for the Northeast.

The Canine Charisma

How these familiar elements merge into something enjoyable hinges on the execution and the viewer's appetite for easy entertainment. Regarding the second aspect, Merv targets a specific viewer – those people who seek out for cute animal clips. Audiences receive a wealth of scenes focused on the pet. The main attraction is the dog, and even if it causes some stilted moments between the pet's "lines" and human reaction, the movie succeeds in showing dog beach fun, pet moping, and, in the end, doggie joy.

The Human Element

Such effectiveness cannot be applied for the romantic plot. Its style wavers between emotional depth, wacky comedy, standard rom-com beats, and outright slapstick, failing to master a single genre. This is not Charlie Cox, who is admirably committed the absurd and awkward inherent in the unusual premise. His performance contains a charming humility that provides the bulk of the chemistry for this seemingly ideal couple. Anna's portrayer, in her typical fashion, injects a distinctive offbeat energy that will be to your taste or not. Her Anna can feel a touch too detached, particularly when contrasted against Cox's vulnerable performance. (On another note, Merv himself manages looking despondent – not quite the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he remains a very good boy.)

The story strives to give weight to the central romance for scenes without their pet – a bit of a pity, since the dog is undoubtedly the most adorable aspect of this cute-aiming movie. As one might predict, it meets the bare minimum. The reason for the split would feel more grounded and mature with more screen time and fewer direct statements. In the end, Merv is light and sugary, fulfilling precisely what you anticipate. Crafting a story with this canine conflict has potential – though it's hardly a brilliant concept.

• Merv streams on Amazon Prime Video this December.