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This is an often-repeated piece of advice among many that co-parenting a dog after a breakup is a terrible idea. The consensus suggests such setups impede former couples from healing, lead to scheduling chaos, fuel disputes, and become annoying for everyone involved. Seemingly, and in a twist suited to a direct-to-platform film, it can even cause the canine in question to experience sadness.

Without minimizing the mental health of dogs – pet parents speak of their deep emotional capacity. If you need standout portrayal in canine melancholy, simply recall a past film. I firmly believe that a dog of Merv's nature, a wired-hair terrier mix portrayed by a talented dog named Gus, would have a hard time adapting to split households. Whether this premise a full holiday film on this conflict works effectively remains a questionable prospect.

A Familiar Formula

To its credit, Merv, crafted by its screenwriters and helmed by playwright Jessica Swale, never aspires to be deeper than its premise. This is a seasonal offering from a corporate studio – the ambitions are modest. The narrative proves to be simple and direct: former spouses Russ (Charlie Cox) and Anna, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, confronting that their own sadness is rivaled only by their dog's, take a uplifting getaway to a luxury pet hotel. Once there, as expected, they will undoubtedly stumble toward the idea that they belong with each other. The supporting cast – including familiar faces – are crafted as the usual assortment of types. Visually has the quality of a streaming service original, with a wintry atmosphere that is obviously artificial – exemplified by fake snow clinging to lush pines as a summer location stands in for a cold December city.

The Canine Charisma

If these standard ingredients come together into a pleasant experience hinges on the actors' work and an acceptance of comfort viewing. On the latter point, Merv knows its audience – those people who browse regularly for cute animal clips. Audiences receive a plethora of canine-centric sequences. The main attraction is the dog, and while this leads to some awkward editing between the pet's "lines" and people's faces, the movie delivers on canine party antics, pet moping, and, ultimately, doggie joy.

Where It Wobbles

The same praise cannot be applied for the human side of the story. Its style shifts uneasily between serious study, wacky comedy, formulaic romance, and outright slapstick, not quite landing a single genre. This is not Charlie Cox, who is willing to embrace the silliness and cringe demanded of the bizarre setting. He brings a likable self-deprecation that offers the bulk of the chemistry for this on-the-rocks couple. Her co-star Deschanel, true to her usual style, imparts a particular brand of eccentricity that will click for some but not others. The character comes across as a touch too detached, notably when contrasted against Cox's heartfelt sincerity. (On another note, the canine performer is convincing at flopping and whining – while no the award-winner from Anatomy of a Fall, he's definitely a very good boy.)

The film attempts to provide depth to the couple's history for sequences focusing solely on them – a bit of a pity, since the title character is undoubtedly the cutest element of this cute-aiming movie. Unsurprisingly, it achieves only baseline competence. The cause for the split might seem more adult and realistic with less exposition and more subtle storytelling. Ultimately, Merv is slight and sweet, fulfilling precisely what you anticipate. Creating a movie about dog co-parenting is not terrible – though it's hardly a brilliant concept.

• Merv premieres on Amazon Prime Video this December.